


Taming the Beast

by arjasmo



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Medical Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-02-27 15:42:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13251360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arjasmo/pseuds/arjasmo
Summary: Rose Tyler is almost there, almost finished with school, almost ready to begin her dream career. Only one thing remains, and it's the chance of a lifetime. John Smith, the Doctor, is the best barrister in England, and he now stands in between her and getting everything she wants. The Doctor is also a man unaccustomed to losing and has no problem taking down anyone in his way. Lives will be changed, pasts will come back to haunt and barriers will come down. But they are unaware of the true danger that lurks in the shadows near her home. It is getting stronger by the minute and will rip her out of the arms of the man who wants to spend eternity with her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new fic! This one took a while to write and it's a doozy! At present it's over 50,000 words and it's growing as I edit it. It is a completed work but I'm just shining it up to make it more presentable. This first chapter is actually two in one, but as I usually do, I figured that the first chapter wasn't "grabby" enough. I'm pounding through it now and hope to post one big chapter a week, maybe more if the gods are smiling. Thank you for finding me! It makes me giddy to think that someone likes the weirdness that comes out of my head.

It was Monday morning, not even eight o’clock and Rose Tyler was already convinced that the universe was against her. She was on her third outfit, the first two falling victim to a creme cheese incident and coffee failure respectively. Now, as she stepped off the bus, it was pouring down rain. Not just any rain, but the buckets that could fall in London causing one to be soaked in 0.5 seconds. Luckily, she had decided to wear rain boots and pack her work shoes in a bag. Unluckily, when she stepped off the bus she stepped directly into possibly the deepest puddle in all of London, causing her to not only stumble, but the water to rush in over the top of the boot. 

“Shit!” she cursed, jumping up onto the sidewalk to get out of the street and out of the way of the bus that threatened to run her over. “You could wait!” she yelled at the driver, who gave her a sheepish shrug in response. 

Rose popped open her umbrella in an attempt to stave off the torrential downpour, knowing that it wouldn’t help much. At least her clothing was mostly dry under her rain jacket, to which a hood was thankfully attached.

Shaking off the bus adventure, Rose smiled to herself. Today was her day, today nothing could stop her, even though everything was trying. Today was the culmination of everything. All her work, her intense studying, long hours of toiling away, watching mates drop out, struggling to pay tuition, fighting her way to the top. This was the day she officially started her career, well, with one roadblock. Today was the first day of her internship. All that stood between her and her dream job as a paralegal was a summer internship. 

Oh, and it was “the good one” too. This was the one everyone in her class wanted and feared at the same time. The one that was so hotly contested that she almost lost it to her former friend Lynda. Lynda, her main competition throughout school, the one she had been toe to toe with since the first day. They had forged a brittle friendship that was on and off depending on who had the top marks at the time. Lynda, who had shamelessly flirted with the paralegal that would be supervising her. And to Rose’s horror, he flirted back. She knew by the way Lydia sauntered out of the interview room still teasing the man inside. 

Rose had been sick that day too. She had gotten a vicious a case of diarrhea just before she was slated to go in, only later to find out that the coffee supplied by her friend “For good luck” may or may not have had laxatives in it. 

But that was over now. Somehow, she had made it through a session with the paralegal and some other lawyers from the firm. They were impressed with her grades as well as her recommendations from her instructors. Finally, they liked her story, as it was outlined in the required biography. A girl from the estates who had to fight for everything. She assured them she would not let them down, but be the best they had ever had. Then, after hastily shaking hands and nearly running out of the room, she almost hadn’t made it to the toilet. 

But she had done it. She was going to work or the finest law firm in the business. that was, if she could live through it. 

The law firm of Smith and Smith was known throughout England as the best of the best. They did everything in civil and criminal law and had a more than impressive record. It was almost absurd how many cases they had won. And Rose was going to be working for the top dog, Mr. Smith himself. Actually, it would be for one of the top dogs, the other Smith was Mr. Smith’s ex-wife. They were known as the most powerful legal ex-couple in the country. But she was only working for him. Apparently, the law firm had two distinct sections, one for her and one for him. Rose’s internship with Mr. Smith, or as some called him, the Doctor, was going to last all summer and at the end she would graduate. She would be doing a variety of things for him, but mostly there to soak up anything she could. It was possible for her to answer phones, file, do menial tasks or actually for him to take her to court with him. It would entirely depend on him. The stories varied from people before her. Some were chained to a desk with endless filing and nothing going on, to others who got to sit next to and assist him with major trials. 

With the completion of this internship she could go anywhere. Others who had done it could practically write their ticket to any law firm in the country. But there had been more casualties than there had been successes. The ones that didn’t finish had to scramble to find other places to take them and they weren’t always lucky to find one. Some had to wait a year for the internship interview process to begin again. Some didn’t elect to continue at all but there was little information on why. 

Rose was eager to start but beyond nervous. Mr. Smith was notorious for being tough on, well everyone. If you showed the slightest sign of weakness or ineptitude, he jumped in and finished you. That made him a superior bannister, but it also left him with a reputation of being nearly impossible to work with. She had never met him either. He was on a tough trial (that he eventually won) when Rose was interviewing. She had met with his paralegal and by all accounts, closest friend as well as a few other lawyers on the day of the laxative incident. They all seemed like normal people, so it seemed like maybe the stories about the firm and Mr. Smith may not be true. Or at least she hoped. 

Rose's counselor at school was both pleased and cautious when she told her the news. "Well Rose, this is the best internship and you are lucky to be given the chance. If it goes bad though, you were also chosen by three other practices. If at any point this gets too difficult, let me know and I'm sure any of them would be happy to take you on."

That statement alone strengthened Rose’s resolve. People has been underestimating her for her whole life. Yes, she grew up in the lower class, yes she dropped out of school to chase a boy and a dream, but she also broke free from that boy and finished her school. She paid for paralegal school on her own and worked a job as well as studied. She clawed her way to the top, and that's why she was given this opportunity. She was the best and should work for the best. There would be no quitting, no settling for second best. And by all means, no angry, narcissistic Solicitor was going to get in her way. Nope, she would see this through to the end, there was no question.

Rose started to gingerly walk away from the bus stop. She had twisted her ankle a little by stepping in the lake disguised as a puddle, but not too bad. The building was about half a block away and across the street. She was almost there. The intersection she needed to cross at was close, the light was just about to turn, and it looked clear. Carefully, if not a little prematurely, she stepped off the kerb into a crosswalk only to jump back as a car came barreling past, hers and the driver's eyes meeting for one horrifying second before she was hit but a giant wave of muddy water. "OH!" she cried, trying to protect herself. But it was no use. There was too much water moving too fast. She took a direct hit. The rain coat that had protected her before was no use in stopping the water that splashed up under it, and most of all hit her in the face and ran down past her collar soaking her clothes. 

She stood there sputtering for a minute before a nice woman pulled her across the street, now dodging the puddles, to an overhang. The woman tried her best to clean Rose, but the damage was done. She was now soaked to the bone, her makeup running off her face. She had only seen the driver for a second. Cold steely blue eyes, that didn't even flinch when he hit the pool of water. But they were burned into her brain. If she ever saw those eyes again, they were in for a smack, at the very least. 

After thanking the woman for her help and swearing she was ok, Rose continued her walk. Ahead loomed the building that she was determined to stay in until she graduated. But now her mood was decidedly sullener. It was hard to be confident when your knickers were wet from a soaking wave delivered by some insensitive beast of a man. 

She approached the revolving doors and waited her turn while trying not to make eye contact with the people coming in and out. Most ignored her, but some had sympathetic looks. Inside and trying in vain to ignore the squeaking of her rain boots on the shiny floor. Even the floor itself was annoying, there was no reason for it to shine the way it did in the middle of this rain storm. It was almost mocking her in its cheerful cleanliness against her muddy frustration. 

Rose approached the main desk of the building and was eyed by a highly suspicions security guard. She realized that he must have thought she was a street person trying to get out of the rain. She unzipped her rain slicker to show that she was actually dressed professionally. Then, she plastered her biggest smile on her face. "Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Smith at Smith and Smith. I'm the new intern."

The guard slowly looked her up and down. He was a nice-looking fellow, with short cropped hair and an official air about him. But he also offered a kind smile. "I'm Ianto. You look like you've had a rough morning. Can I help you out?"

"No thank you, just show me to the offices please." Rose had had enough help already from strangers. What was he going to do, give her new knickers?

Ianto gave her a quick once over before answering, "OK, sure just go to the lifts and go to the third floor. You can't miss it. My sister is the receptionist. Maybe she has an extra shirt or something."

For the first time since the deluge, Rose looked down at herself. She had, after having to change twice, settled for a smart tweed suit with a crisp white top. That top was now soaked through and through it everything could be seen. Ianto at that moment was trying not to look at her lacy white bra that was showing for all to see. Rose quickly grabbed the sides of the suit jacket and pulled them tight, buttoning them all the way up. In doing so, her outfit went from capable looking intern to damp school matron. But she didn't care. It was better than coming in for the first day of work nearly naked. 

"Let me take you," Ianto offered, leading the way. Rose huffed a breath and followed. This day could not get much worse, she hoped, but she had no idea. 

OoOo

John Smith, the Doctor, was running late for work. It's not like he had specific hours to be there, but there was a lot to do and little time to do it. There never was enough time. That coupled with staff that would rather flirt around and act like idiots, judges that took their sweet ass time, and solicitors that had their heads up their arses, there was never time to be ahead. He whipped through the streets of London trying to shorten his commute. Like that would have helped. As he neared his building, his mobile rang. He punched the control on the steering wheel and growled, "What do you want?"

His closes friend, if you could call him that, best paralegal and personal assistant Jack's voice boomed through the car. "Good morning sunshine. I was just reminding you that you that you have a new paralegal intern. She starts today. You asked me to remind you."

"No Jack, not this week. You know that. This week is bad for me. It always is. You need to cancel her. "

"I can't. She's on a time schedule. If she doesn't start today she won't have enough hours to graduate. We didn't have much choice. "

"Fine, but she better stay out of my way. I don't want to see her for all of this week. I don’t have the patience to babysit anyone. You said she was good, she better be. I can’t handle any more bullshit in that department. Not this week, or any week for that matter. I can’t handle the stupidity that goes with students."

Jack's sigh rung through the car. "C'mon Doc. It's not her fault that she was hired for this internship on the week of the anniversary. I hear she's super sharp and can take on anything. I really think you’ll like her."

"Does she know about me? People say they can take anything, then they meet me. I seem to be the exception I can’t have another cryer.”

"I don’t think you will have one. She looks like she is tough. All I ask is that you are decent to her. I'll keep her out of your way. Or at least I'll try. But you have to at least meet her. See you soon!" Jack's cheeriness as he rang off made John growl again. Underneath it all, he knew Jack was good for him. If for nothing else than soothing over hurt feelings that he caused. But this week was a terrible time for this girl to start. Well at least he probably wouldn't have to worry about her after it though. She wouldn't make it past this week for sure.

The traffic light in front of him was about to change do he sped up. He was so frustrated by his conversation with Jack that he failed to notice someone stepping into the crosswalk in front of him. Their eyes met and locked just before his car hit a giant puddle, causing the girl to be enveloped in a massive splash. 

The Doctor had to yank the wheel to miss her also, and barely did. "Oh my God!” he screamed. "What the hell!" He glanced into the rear-view mirror to see her being pulled across the street by someone. "Well she damn well deserved that, Stepping right in front of me!" He shouted to himself, but it wasn't like he needed to justify what happened. But maybe he did. Her face, those eyes, they tore through his soul. For that second, they had connected. It was weird to say the least. That had never happened to him before. But it was no use. The whole thing had tensed him up tremendously. He drove the rest of the distance, about a half a block to his building, gripping the wheel with white knuckles. No, this was no way to start the worst week of the year. 

OoOo

The elevator doors opened on the third floor to reveal a glimmering, spacious office. Compared to the silence of the awkward ride with Ianto, the office was buzzing. Ianto ushered her to the tall reception desk that was the first thing her eyes landed on upon arriving. The desk itself was raised up by at least a step and covered in shining brass inlaid with dark rich wood. In and of itself it was beautiful. Sitting there was a woman, older than Rose by a few years, a little portly but smiling brightly at her. "Hi, you must be Rose. I'm Rhiannon. I see you've already met my brother Ianto."

At this point, Ianto stepped forward. "Rhiannon, Rose got soaked on the way over, and this is her first day, do you have anything to, um, help her?"

Rhiannon eyed the admittedly soggy Rose Tyler. "Oh love, I'm sorry. I don't have anything. I would help if I could. Here, come with me and we'll do the best we can."

Rhiannon stepped down from her desk and led Rose to the nearest ladies’ room, where they went about cleaning what they could. 

"I don't know what else will help me, but thank you." Rose said, trying in vain to wipe a glob of mud from her shoulder. "

"It's my pleasure, dear. I'm sure you've heard how difficult internships can be here. I'll do anything to help out. We underlings have to stick together, hmmm?"

Rose nodded. "It's nice at least to know that there are two kinds people in this building."

"Oh honey, there are loads. Most of the staff is wonderful here.” 

"What about Mr. Smith?” Rose asked carefully, hoping that all she had heard was nonsense but also knowing it probably wasn’t, “He's who I'm assigned to."

Rhiannon took a deep breath. "Mr. Smith, is... well he's not a bad man. He has always been good to me, but I haven’t ever crossed him. He is a bit rough though. You know, he gets right to the point, no joking around. He knows what he wants, that's for sure. If you really want the truth though,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “the one to watch out for is Ms. Smith, his ex-wife. She’s the tough one on us. But she’s gone this week, so you won’t have to worry about running onto her. I actually can't believe you are starting this week. It's always bad week for him."

"I had to, it's a matter of my internship and the timing. I need a certain number of hours. What's so bad about this week?"

Before Rhiannon could answer, another woman came in the restroom. "I'll tell you later." she whispered. Then she stood up and adjusted. "I think we've done all we can do here. Let's take you to see Jack."

As Rose followed Rhiannon she thought that perhaps she should follow up on the “bad week” issue that she mentioned. This was a new situation, a potentially harrowing situation, and it would be nice to know the where the land mines were located so she could avoid them. And if the reputation for Mr. Smith was right, she would be avoiding a lot. 

Rhiannon led her through the winding office, ending in a small room with tree desks. One was on the right, and the other two were on the left. The room was bright despite the wall of windows along the right side that only showed gloom. At the right hand one sat a nice-looking girl about Rose's age. She was wearing a headset and was on the phone as they came in. One of the left sided desks was vacant, but at the other there was a very attractive man, sitting back with his feet up, his laptop on his lap. He looked up as then entered. "Well hello there, Rose Tyler I’ve been waiting for you. " He quickly sat up and put his laptop on the desk, grinning at her. 

Then as he took her in, his grin faded. "What happened to you?"

The look on Jack’s face alone caused waves of anxiety to crash around her. So far everyone had been so nice in dealing with her and her wetness. Jack was the first to make he feel like something was terribly wrong. 

Rose looked down at herself. Her voice came out much different than she intended in talking to the man who hired her. It was smaller and even shaky. "I was walking here, and a car hit a puddle. It splashed me. I didn't have time to go home and change. I'm sorry. I-we tried to clean me up. "

Jack wore a funny expression for a second then took a breath. "Well, it's too late now.” He offered her a smile. When he did she felt a hand on her back briefly indicating that Rhiannon was leaving. Jack jumped up. “So, a little orientation. As you know, I’m Jack Harkness. I’m a paralegal but since being with the Doctor my position has been morphed to do a little bit of everything.” 

He pointed to the young woman across the office. “That little piece of sunshine is Amy Pond. She answers the phones for the Doctor and actually several of the other solicitors, but her main job is here. She is unquestionably the busiest person in the practice. Amy nodded and smiled back, only to answer another call immediately. This is your desk," he indicated the desk next to his. 

Rose stepped behind it and sat down. It was already equipped with a computer and phone. "Put your things down and I'll take you to meet the Doctor. Rose gave him an inquisitive look. 

“So, you’re curious about the nickname.”

“I’ve heard about it, but no one explained it,” she answered, her voice finally finding some confidence.

“People call him "the Doctor" because he can fix anything. It goes back to when he was in school. So, if he ever asks you to call him that, it's ok. I don't think he will, at least not right of the bat, but maybe in time. Please do not call him John though, he's not fond of that. "

"Mr. Smith it is then."

Jack fixed her with a huge smile. "Smart girl." He got to his feet and ambled over to the double doors on the far side of the room. he knocked softly and slid thought the doors, closing them behind him. There were words exchanged, and Jack sounded like he was trying to convince someone, most likely Mr. Smith of something. Then there was a long pause, then another grumble. 

Rose took a moment to breathe. She looked down at her clothes once more. Most of the mud was gone and she was also mostly dry. She still looked like she was wrinkled and stained and her makeup was long gone. She didn’t even want to think about her hair. Finally, the jacket buttoned up to the top really made her feel forty years older than she was felt like she should be scolding children in a library somewhere. So much for being confident on the first day. 

The doors opened in front of her and Rose looked up to see Jack coming out. He hustled up to her and whispered. "He'll see you now. Smile, nod and let him talk. He's in a crummy mood today and will be all week. Fair warning. We'll get into that later. C'mon, we only have a little window."

Rose wasn't sure what Jack meant by that, but she allowed herself to be ushered through the doors into the spacious office. Ten she had to hold back her look of astonishment. Not only was the office big, but it was amazing. First off, the entire back wall was a window, floor to ceiling. There was a large dark wood table surrounded by chairs in the main part, behind that was a gorgeous leather couch with matching chair. Behind all that, on the wall facing the window was an enormous bookshelf filled with what she guessed were legal books. Though they were probably mostly for show. Everything in the office was dark in tone, yet it was still warm. Her eyes fell on an enormous mahogany desk in front of the window. At it sat a man, a big man, idly reading a paper in his hand. He was not physically big, other than perhaps tall, but an aura of importance hit her as she drew nearer. With every step she felt smaller. Without him saying a word, Rose felt immediately that she was in the presence of a very powerful man. The kind that could bend the universe to his will. Someone not to tangle with. Suddenly she wanted to go home. 

As they approached the desk, Rose's stomach got tighter and tighter. She was going to be with this man for months if she could handle it. But what little confidence she had left after her morning drained out remarkably fast. Now she just felt like a girl in the presence of a warrior. No, worse than that, a wet, matronly, homely girl in the face of the man that could spell her doom. 

Then he looked up. When their eyes met, both jumped. Those blue eyes, she knew them. They were the eyes of the man who had created the deluge of muddy water. 

Simultaneously they both said, "It's you!" 

Rose's voice raised "You splashed me!"

The Doctor's voice came back at the same volume, "You stepped out in front of me! "

Then together they both yelled, “You should pay more attention!"

Jack just stood there balking. Then he gathered himself. "Well we I see that you two have met. This is Rose Tyler, and Rose, this is Mr. Smith."

They both glared at each other not moving. Jack cleared his throat. "Um, is there anything you would like to get her started on?" He looked back and forth between the two of them, still locked in intense glares. 

Finally, the Doctor broke free from his stare and pointed his eyes on Jack, who winced subtly. "No, Jack, I don't. Perhaps though, Miss Tyler would like to go home and change. That way we can see to it that she is more comfortable.” From anyone else that statement may have seemed sympathetic. But from the Doctor they sounded patronizing. On top of that, his tone was tight and clipped. 

Before Jack could formulate an answer, Rose spoke up again. "No thank you sir, I can just get to work if that is alright." Her tone was short too, but much more confident. 

And though Jack had just meet her he could feel the tension rolling off her. Jack shook his head. This was not working out well. Not at all. 

Before he could though, the Doctor nearly growled his reply. "Do not call me sir." He turned to Jack. "Fine, if she is comfortable, she can shred the Harris documentation then. Tomorrow I can have something else for her to do." He turned back to Rose. "Welcome to Smith and Smith, Rose Tyler, I give you a week." He then picked up his paper again, signaling it was time for Rose and Jack's departure. 

Jack looked back to Rose, scared for a second that she would say something back. But no, she just looked down at her shoes. She had seen enough, apparently.

Jack indicated the door to Rose and she reluctantly followed. Her anxiety for her new internship now replaced by dread. As she walked she could feel Mr. Smith's eyes on her. Normally she would have stood up a little straighter, but the weight of his stare bore down on her like cinder blocks. Any hope for a good experience her was dashed. It was going to be a fight just to finish. He gave her a week. She would be lucky if she could make it until the end of the day. 

As the door clicked shut behind them, the Doctor took a deep breath but couldn’t help but smirk. One thing he knew from his long career was how to read people. And Rose Tyler was a fiery one. She might just make it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. When I posted this initially I forgot two things. First, this fic is not going to be Reinette friendly. If you love that character, this may not be the fic for you. And secondly, I don't claim to be an expert on the English legal system. In fact, if I can't google it I don't know it. So please be gentle with me if I get something a little wrong. In my world there was a little blending of both the American and English systems. Thank you for all the kudos and comments! This isn't the biggest chapter, but the next one is huge. I just want to make sure it's not too ugly before I post it.

Once the doors were closed behind Jack, Rose finally took a breath. 

Jack looked at her. "Sorry Rose, He can be a little intense. And that splashing thing... I think it caught him off guard."

"It caught me off guard. Honestly Jack, is he always like that?"

"Jack led her to where their desks were situated. "Well yes and no. This week is a bad week for him."

"So, I've heard."

"And he has a reputation for playing hard ball. There is a reason his clients pick him to defend them. He never loses. I mean, even if the legal decision is not in his favor, and they almost never don’t, he comes out ahead. I’m not kidding, he can’t lose. And, no one has the balls to mess with him. "

Rose slumped into her chair. "I heard this would be tough. but I thought, ‘Hey you're a strong woman, you can handle anything', but now I don't know. If this is what it will be like every day, I don't know. I need to be able to feel comfortable and make headway. "

Jack sat on her desk in front of her. "Rose, what I didn't tell you is that the Doctor is one of my closest friends. And I am one of his few friends. He works hard, but is a great man. He is a generous and caring man, but you have to get there. He has huge, fortified walls up for a reason. He has been hurt before and he has also hurt many people. He lets very few people in, but I've seen him be a good person a lot. He just needs to get used to you. Give him a chance. Work hard and do what he says. You will learn… a lot. And if you live through it, he will be the greatest reference in the world for you."

"So, I suppose I should get started. What does he need me to shred?"

Jack gave her a sad grin. "I'll get the cart."

OoOo

Rose followed Jack down the corridor to a storage room. Inside he took a heavy-duty cart and began to stack boxes on it. Once there were four on it he pushed it out of the room. Rose could tell he was extremely heavy since he had trouble pushing it. He then led her to the giant industrial shredder a few doors down. He pushed the cart in and stopped. "The Doctor could employ a shredding company, but when something is very sensitive, we choose to do it ourselves. It's his way of ensuring that no one sees them. By the way, did you fill out all the confidentiality paperwork?"

"Yes, all that was completed prior to my arrival. It should be on file, if not I have copies in my bag."

Jack flashed her a brilliant grin. "I knew you were smart. I'll double check on those. Ok, you get started on this, and I'll be back. "

"For what?" Rose asked.

"Oh Rosie, these four boxes are just the tip of the iceberg."

Rose's eyes widened. At least Mr. Smith's intentions were clear, he aimed to torture her before she actually got to do anything. She could handle it. He wouldn't break her.

OoOoOo

Four hours later, Rose was miserable. Her feet were killing her from standing in uncomfortable shoes, she was hot from having her jacket buttoned up so high and she had about a thousand paper cuts. She was finishing box #5 of the twelve Jack had brought in when Jack stepped in the doorway. 

"Hey there Rosie, I thought you could deal with some tea. You don't mind if I call you Rosie, do you?

Rose gratefully accepted the mug and sat on one of the boxes. "No, you can call me that. I'm fine with it."

"Good, because I come up with names for everyone. "

"Even ‘His Supreme Crankiness’ in there?" She nodded towards the office. 

"Yup, but I can't say it in polite company." They both giggled at that. 

"Mmmmm, thank you Jack," Rose hummed," I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since I got here."

"You know that you aren't trapped in here don't you? You can go eat and stuff. I guess I forgot to tell you all that."

"It's OK, honestly I'm one of those people that gets on task and I need to finish before I do anything else. "

"But I don't want you to die in the process." Jack took a seat on another box. 

Rose nodded. "So, Jack, I have to know. Everyone keeps alluding to the fact that this is a bad week for Mr. Smith. But no one will tell me why. It would be nice to know so that I can avoid sticking me foot in my mouth or annoying him any further."

Jack sighed deeply. "Well I suppose, at least so that you have the real story. Well, you know how this firm is names Smith and Smith?"

"Yes..."

"Well the other Smith is the Doctor’s former wife, Reinette."

"OK that seems a little weird."

"You have no idea. And you haven't met her yet. But picture this. They were in school together. They were the best. Always competing and always at each other's throats. But they were the top of their class. I even think that they had the same ranking. It was like neither of them would let the other win. On top of it all they had a torrid relationship. It was on and off like a light switch, but when it was on it was insane, when it was off it was depressing."

Rose swallowed her tea. “It sounds like something my Mum would watch on East Enders."

"Only worse. They would have these epic fights that I swear could have rattled this building down to its foundation. They started his practice and basically took over the world in a matter of years. In no time they were the best of the best."

"When did you come on board?"

"I was hired pretty early on. The Doctor needed a paralegal and I was it. I have worked exclusively for him for ten years. I was even his best man. "

"But now they’re divorced?”

John laughed out loud. "This is where it gets interesting. The more powerful they both got, the more heated things got. I once, in the course of 30 minutes, found them screaming at each other in a conference room and him banging her on his desk.” 

"Ewww, no one needs to see that."

"But Rose, it was like watching a storm. It was both beautiful and destructive. When they worked together, they could finish each other's sentences and win everything they put their hands on. But it became more and more of a power struggle. Eventually they broke it off. But not before the most vicious and spiteful diverse in the history of the universe. The anniversary of which is this week. Technically it's on Wednesday this year, but the strife lasts all week. It's when the Doctor is at his lowest. She literally ripped him apart."

"But you said he was the best. Why did he just not fight back?"

"In the end he wanted it to be civil. Inside he is a very good man. Reinette came at him with both guns, and he initially fought hard, but after a while he just wanted it to end. He didn't care about property and money, he just wanted to be out of it. That woman is the one person who can tear him down. She’s his kryptonite. Still years later she is still the only one that can stop him in his tracks."

"And she took him to the cleaners?"

"Essentially yes. She decided to not leave the practice and she basically got everything. She waltzed away with the house in the country, the yacht, and the bulk of their money. In all the years I've known him it was the first time I ever saw him give up. And I never have since. But she broke him. He doesn't let anyone else in now. He only confides in me because I've been there all along. The worst part is that she still affects him."

"Where is she?" 

"She takes this week off every year and goes to the country house. For a week she throws a massive party. While there she entertains a variety of men. It’s bad. I hear it’s like the Playboy Mansion for a week every year. All of it only makes the Doctor sicker.” 

"Does he still love her?" Rose leaned forward, the shredding temporarily forgotten.

"No, but there still is a wound. She rubs it in his face whenever she can. She is a very powerful, intelligent woman. And like I said, she still has her talons him. It’s hard to explain. You'll meet her soon enough." 

"Will I have to work with her?" Now Rose was genuinely concerned. 

"No, you were hired to work with the Doctor. Actually, the two Smiths keep things very separate most of the time. The only person who works for both sides is Rhiannon, who you met earlier. Cases are distributed equally between the two with Reinette leaning more towards corporate stuff like takeovers and such. Not that she doesn't dabble all over the place. She has a huge staff of solicitors under her that prepare everything, and she works on what she wants to, sometimes outright stealing a case from someone if she is interested. Every once and a while she and the Doctor have to work together on something huge. But those seem to be fewer now. I’ll tell you one thing though, when they find their rhythm it’s a beautiful thing. But then. Of course, it ends quickly, and they are at odds again. Honestly I’m never sure if when they are on the same page I won’t find them doing it on the desk again.”

“You sound traumatized by that,” Rose said with a chuckle. 

“I’m not going to lie, it was a little hot but not how you want to find you friend and his ex.”

“Agreed. So, with cases, does Mr. Smith do the same, I mean take what he wants?

"No, he has a smaller staff. He has a few solicitors that work with him and Reinette. He uses them a fair amount of cases. But I and by extension, you, will do a lot of things. Our side is much calmer and closer. You will find that you have to work closely with him periodically."

"Well, we'll see how that goes. He hates me already. I can't say I'm fond of him either."

Jack stood and offered her a hand to stand up. "I'll give you a hint. Work hard, stay out of his way this week. Don't cause trouble and he will come around. He hated me at first too. Think of it. Me! Everyone loves me." And with that he gave her a quick hug, took her mug and left, winking at her as he did.

Rose huffed. Jack had given her a huge amount of info. It was going to take a while to metabolize all she had just downloaded. But at least she knew the story now. She could avoid dealing with Mr. Smith for the rest of this week. But one thing for sure, she was not looking forward to working directly with him. Jack had indicated how nice he was and so forth, but that had taken time. Time was something she definitely did not have on her side. And given their rocky start, she did not have high hopes. 

She sighed heavily and returned to the boxes. Only 7 more to go...

OoOoOo

At seven o'clock that night Rose finally finished all the shredding. Rhiannon had stopped by a few hours before and given her a candy bar and a Coke, as well as explained how to get out without tripping the alarm. Rose stretched. Even though hours had passed since her drenching, she still felt dirty and wet, though she wondered if that was just her state of mind. The noises of the office had died almost completely down. She could hear a few people here and there scattered around in various places. After Jack's explanation she could see that the office, more like the floor was divided between the two Smiths. The shredding room was in the middle. When she had gone in, she had been taken to the left. If she would have gone to the right, she would have been in Ms. Smith's territory. Idly she wondered why the name hadn't changed after the divorce.

She also hoped that she would not have to cross paths with Ms. Smith at all. 

She disposed of the empty boxes in the recycling then went to go fetch her things. As Rose approached her desk she saw that Mr. Smith's doors were partially open. Inside she could hear someone ticking away at a computer. She got her bag and went to leave, but thought again, curiosity taking over. 

She stuck her head inside, only to take in the sight of Mr. Smith studying something on his monitor and scowling. Rose took a moment to take him in. He was hunched over his keyboard, glasses on the end of his nose. He had short cropped hair, and wore mostly black. A beaten up old leather jacket hung on a chair nearby and Rose assumed that that was his favorite jacket, as a more formal suit jacket hung on a hook by the door. He wasn't bad looking, save the frown. She could see that he was tall and well built. In other circumstances he would have gotten a second look. Had they been at a pub, she may have even come over to say hi, but not here, not now. She knew what was beneath the good looks. Even though Jack repeatedly assured her that he was a good man, it was very hard to believe. 

Even from where she stood, she could see his brilliant blue eyes, the same eyes, she remembered suddenly that she saw before the water hit her. Annoyance appeared once more she withdrew, only to accidently knock her arm against one of the doors. 

To her horror, before she could escape, Mr. Smith looked up, his eyes boring into her. 

"Yes, Miss Tyler, do you need something?" he asked, is voice not cold, but stern.

"No Sir, I was just leaving. I completed the shredding."

"Please step all the way in, you look like you’re hiding something," he ordered. 

Rose stepped in as he asked, now feeling like a new wave of inadequacy was coming her way. She remembered how she had felt that morning. Even after their exchange. He made her feel small and uncomfortable, as well as that sinking feeling in her stomach that she got when she was sure that someone did not like her. It didn't happen often, but it was uncomfortable none the less.

Mr. Smith slowly removed his glasses and looked at her. "I'll ask you again not to call me sir," was all he said, but as he did his expression changed ever so slightly. 

"Yes," she answered, not knowing exactly how to finish and uncomfortable beneath the weight of his stare.

"Fine then, please be here at eight tomorrow." He put his glasses back on and turned back towards the screen.

No "thank you" no "I'll see you tomorrow" nothing. Rose turned to go. But thought better. She had to say something. "Thank you for the opportunity Mr. Smith. I hope we can work well together." With that she stepped out the door. When she reached the elevator, she let out the breath she had been holding since she left his office and relaxed a little. When the lift arrived, the stepped in quickly, pushing her button and then leaning on the back wall. 

Had she turned at that moment, she would have caught a glimpse of someone standing near the reception desk. Mr. Smith had followed her out and was observing her from a distance. Had she seen him, he could have covered his actions with the papers in his hands, but in this case, she had no idea he was watching. 

OoOo  
It was the end of day and the Doctor was tired. He still had a lot of things to do though. A client that he had been defending just had another brush with the law and that had taken up most of his day. In addition, he had about 50 emails to return. On top of it all he was not in a good mood. It only helped slightly that Reinette always left this week. 

He knew that she as having huge parties at the country home they once shared. It wasn't that, though that was certainly annoying, but it was that she bested him. She had defeated him in the courtroom, but also taken his heart and trampled it. In the course of the divorce, both of them had dirty laundry that aired. but the difference was that she didn't care. Everything about John that was brought up hurt like an arrow through the heart. But anything on her seemed to bounce off. She had gone for the jugular. He had started out that way, canons firing, but then had second thoughts. This was a woman he once deeply loved. In the heat of if he bowed down, hoping that she would see the act as one of good faith and become civil again. 

That was when she struck. He showed what she perceived as weakness and she swooped in and ended it. That was why she had everything, and he had next to nothing. At that moment he promised never to show weakness again. But yearly at the anniversary of the divorce becoming final, he relived everything. No matter how he tried to avoid it, it hit like a ton of bricks. He had tried to go on vacation, stay at home or any variety of things. But it didn't work. So, he ended up just staying and pushing through. It wasn't the best strategy, but it was the only one. 

It was getting late and most everyone had gone home. He liked this time of night. when things were calmer and he could work uninterrupted. That was until he was interrupted by his intern. Something caught his attention, he wasn’t sure what, and he looked up to see her. He hadn't even realized that she was still there. They had a brief exchange, during which he asked her to come all the way into the office. 

On seeing her again, he looked a little closer. She was not matronly as he had thought before. She was actually quite pretty, but clearly uncomfortable with him. Seeing her standing there made him feel a little guilty for slashing her, though at the time it was out of his control. 

When she left him, he waited a few moments then followed, intrigued and wanting to sneak another glance. That found him watching her enter the lift. It was rare to have an intern that worked late. Most were off to the pub each night, only to come back in the morning to finish what they had left. But this one, Rose, stayed to finish the job. That was a good quality. He would have to pay more attention to that in the future, maybe write it on an evaluation when she was done. But for now, he had to get through this week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is not my normal day to post, but I wanted to get a little ahead. Also, this story requires a lot of building to get to the good stuff. This is the last chapter that builds. The angst train arrives in the next chapter. 
> 
> This chapter gives us a little more of both of our favorite people and a little cuteness. It also allows me to prepare for the UGLY. Happy reading.

Rose took the bus home much like she had gotten there. At least not the rain had stopped. On the way she had texted her mum and agreed to get sandwiches from the delicatessen near their home.

Rose and her mother lived in the Counsel estates in London. She had grown up there and knew it like the back of her hand. She knew the people and their stories. That is one of the reasons she was so bent on leaving. Too many lives were wasted there. When she was a child it was perfect, a close-knit community with lots of children around. But now things seemed to be changing, or maybe trouble was always there and she didn't see it. Anyway, it was becoming obvious that drugs were making their way in and not letting go. Last week there had been an overdose in one of the stairwells. Some kids had found a 28 year old man barely breathing. By the time the medics came, he was dead. Rose knew him, he was older than her and she had always looked up to him as a cool kid. 

And beyond that, there the effect of the drug culture was showing up. Suddenly people that used to have no money were flashing it all around. But they didn't leave. Some were busted, some succumbed to the drugs themselves or the inherent violence. 

The problem seemed to be that no one could ever get a handle on what was plaguing the area. Recently it had gotten worse too. Someone must have moved in and taken over the various small drug operations. Rose now saw less people sneaking about, but more money was changing hands. All she wanted to do was to finish school and move out, but at the same time she didn't want to abandon the people she cared about. But if the problems here did not get better, she would be forced to take her mother and leave. It was not a safe place. 

After getting off the bus, Rose went immediately into the delicatessen, only to be greeted by a full house. The poor owner was literally running around filling orders. Instead of jumping into the fray, Rose took a seat at a back table and waited for things to calm down, which they did after about a half hour. Only then did she reluctantly approach the counter. 

"Wow Ken, that was quite a rush."

The haggard man looked up at her, smiling when he saw a familiar kind face. "Oh yes my dear," he answered in his thick Irish accent. "It's been like this for days. I lost my helper boy, Connor. I can't seem to find help, and it's running me ragged. "

"You lost Connor? Hasn't he been with you for years? What happened to him?"

"Aye, I had him since he was 13. But it was the street that got him. He told me he could make more in a weekend than I could pay him in a week. He left me two weeks ago. I heard he was arrested last week though. Pity."

"That's too bad. I'll keep my ears open for a new helper for you."

"Thank you Rose dear." 

Rose got her sandwiches and walked across the street to her building. There had been an increased police presence lately because of the rise in crime. She nodded to and smiled at an officer in his car filling out a report. He smiled back and waved hello. 

Rose walked into the quad between the buildings moving towards hers. As she was approaching her stairwell, she could see a gathering of people just inside the door. It wasn't uncommon for residents to congregate places, but for some reason this one made her uncomfortable. 

As she opened the door, she came upon them. It was a group of boys, mostly teenagers, a but one younger one also. They all promptly shut up and looked at her. The boys were all boys that lived in or around her building, but one she didn't know, he was older, probably in his early 20's and had blonde spiky hair. 

Rose stopped. "What are you boys up to?" In her heart she knew, but couldn't just walk by and not say something. 

"None of your business sweetheart," the spiky one answered, his mouth in a sneer. 

"Oh, it is my business sweetheart," she answered. She addressed the boys, "All of you, what are you getting into? You all need to go home to your families and not get caught up in all this."

The spiky one stood, he was about her height, wearing a white vest top and jeans. Rose noticed two things immediately. He had a very expensive watch on, expensive sunglasses on his head and again very expensive trainers. This was not a guy from the estate. "I said this was none of your business, now shove off," he challenged. 

Rose was not phased. Keeping her eyes locked to his, she simply leaned back, opened up the door to the stairwell and whistled, only then taking her eyes of Spiky and looking at the police officer. 

Instantly Spikey knew what she had done. "BITCH!" he shrieked. All the boys scattered. Some up the stairs, some out into the quad area. Spiky made a break for the car park. By the time the officer got out of his car, they were gone. 

One boy though, the one Rose knew, didn't get far. He headed out past her, but Rose caught him by the shirt. "Oh no you don't Jaime, " she said, "You're with me." Outside the door, she could see the cop looking around. She knew that there was nothing to get the boys on, but she had summoned him more as a distraction and to break up the meeting. She yelled to him. "Sorry officer, I didn't see what they were doing but thought they may be up to no good. Sorry to disturb you."

He nodded. "I recognize a few of them. I'll keep a little closer watch in the future."

"Thanks!" She still had Jaime by the shirt. Instead of resisting, he now just looked up at her sadly. Jaime was the littlest of all the boys congregated. He couldn't be more than 12 now. Rose had known him since he was about 6. She led him up one flight of stairs to the floor she knew he lived on, but pulled him to face her. 

"Jaime, what are you doing?"

The boy huffed and looked at his feet.

"C'mon, I know you were up to something. Tell me now or I take you to your mum and we all talk together."

Jaime looked up suddenly, fear playing on his features. "Please leave my mum out of this. She would kill me."

"Ok then, spill." 

Jaime huffed again. "He said that we could make a lot of money. I wasn't going to sell no drugs though, I would be a lookout. It made really good money, Rose. More than my mum makes in a week."

Rose bent down to his level. "Oh Jaime, I know what you're doing. You want to help your mum."

"She works so hard. If I could do this, it would help us."

"But to what end? If you were to get arrested, then what would she do? It would devastate her."

Jaime looked down again. "I know."

Rose smiled. she liked Jaime. He as a good kid, and she could see how the allure of the selling drugs or even being a lookout would appeal to a kid who just wanted to help his mother. "Look, Jaime, you’re a smart boy. Much smarter than any of those others. But if you want to make your mother proud you have to get money the proper way. What were you planning on telling her when you all of a sudden came home with money?"

He toed the ground. "I hadn't thought about that."

“I know you hadn't. Listen, Ken at the delicatessen really needs help. He has hired boys your age before. It's honest work and Ken will feed you. He's looking for a boy to work right now. I know it's not as much as that guy offered to pay you, but it's honest work that you can be proud of. You can tell him that you have my personal recommendation."

Jaime sighed, he knew she was right.

Rose picked up the boy's chin to look at her. "You're a good kid Jaime, I know it. Don't get yourself mixed up into something that could take you away from your mum. All that work that she does she does for you. She couldn’t live if something happened to you."

"I know."

Rose perked up. "Why don't you go over and talk to Ken right now?"

"Do you really think I can get a job?"

"Yes, now go right now. If he has any questions he can call me."

"OK, I'll do it." Jaime smiled at her and raced down the steps.

Rose jogged up the remaining steps to her floor and as she walked down the walkway to her door, she could see Jaime open the door to Ken's place. 

OoOoOo

Rose's second day dawned much different than the first. And best of all she wasn’t soggy, but just to be careful she waited for the green light and for people to start to cross where she had the splash incident the day before. When Rose entered the building, she was greeted by a smiling Ianto. They said good morning to each other and to Rose’s surprise, he followed her into the lift again.

"Uh, are you escorting me again? I know where I'm going now." Rose said, wondering what exactly he was doing. 

Ianto smiled nervously. "I'm not escorting, but you give me a reason to go up to your office."

Rose grinned knowingly. "Oh, so let me guess, there's someone up there that you fancy and if you take me you have an excuse."

Ianto blushed severely and didn't answer. The lift dinged a second after. When the doors opened, and Rose saw right away why Ianto was blushing. Standing at the desk talking to Rhiannon, was Jack, who turned and gave them both a brilliant smile. She could hear Ianto take in a breath next to her. He stalled though, getting out of the lift. Rose then surreptitiously put her hand on his back and pushed him along with her. His eyes were locked on Jack and Jack’s on him. They both froze in place for a moment. Then Jack seemed to get an idea. He walked past Ianto and Rose and pressed the lift button. Then he whispered something in Ianto's ear.

When the doors opened again, both men got in together, leaving confused Rose and Rhiannon in their wake. Rhiannon was the first to speak. "I'm not sure but I think I am about to be a sister in law."

Rose giggled. "That was the strangest mating ritual I’ve ever seen. I'm pretty sure I hear David Attenborough narrating it in my head though.” They both got a good laugh out of that until Rhiannon suddenly stiffened. Rose followed her eyes to see a frowning Mr. Smith in the doorway. Rose looked up, her glee melting away. 

Mr. Smith scowled at her." Where’s Jack?"

Rose cleared her throat. "Um, he's gone downstairs for something. Can I help you with anything?"

He looked her up and down much like he had examined her the day before. "Stayed dry today didn't you?" he asked, ignoring her question.

A snide remark jumped to Rose’s lips but she physically bit it away. she simply replied, "Yes s... Mr. Smith."

He leveled a funny look at her, almost like he was expecting to spar with her but didn't get the chance. But the look quickly disintegrated. "Fine then, I have a stack of documents on Jack's desk. I need the cover pages on each proofread to be sure the dates on each match the dates in the document."

"Yes, Mr. Smith, I'll get started right away." She glanced towards Rhiannon, who shot her a sympathetic look. Then she reluctantly followed her new boss into the office. 

OoOoOo

Mr. Smith went right into his office with no further explanation to Rose. She found the documents easily, and after putting her lunch and purse in her desk, started the process. After a while she was able to work quickly on her task. What was nice was that across the office, Amy had a few moments here and there to talk to her. In very short bursts, Rose found out a lot of information from the red head. First off, she was a natural ginger and she had a boyfriend named Rory who was a nursing student at a small local college. Rose instantly decided that though Amy was a nice girl, she would have gone bonkers having her job. Poor Amy never got a minute of rest, the phone literally rang off the hook. But she handled it like a champ, taking every spare moment to talk to Rose. 

It was nearing lunchtime when Jack reappeared. He was a little flushed but grinning hugely. 

He gave Rose a saucy wink before sitting at his desk and waking up his computer. 

Rose blushed back. "Did you have a good time with Ianto?" she asked. 

"I don't kiss and tell." he smirked back.

"I don't believe that for a second," she retorted. 

Rose had just completed the documents when lunch time rolled around so she she gave them to Jack.

“So, where is the breakroom?” she asked Amy.

"We don’t have one really, just a little counter to make coffee or tea. Most of us just leave at lunch," Amy informed her, putting on her jacket and heading out to meet Rory.

"Well, I'm still on a budget so here I stay," she sighed, waving to Amy and having a seat back at her desk. 

Jack had gone into the Doctor’s office during her exchange with Amy. As Rose was unwrapping her leftover sandwich from the night before the two emerged. Jack went to his desk to retrieve his wallet and the Doctor hovered in front of Rose’s desk until she looked up. 

"Staying in?" he inquired.

"Yes," she answered simply.

"You're allowed to leave," he countered.

Jack leaned over to her. "C'mon Rose, we're going to a great little sandwich shop down the way. You should see the cookies it has. They're heaven." To this the Doctor shot him a look of pure ice. Rose saw it, but it only lasted a second. Jack looked back at his friend and gave him a big smile. Rose couldn’t help but smile herself, watching her boss be antagonized. She figured that at this point Jack was used to the glares anyway. 

But the interaction in front of her was enough for her to get the message that she was not welcome to join them, even if she had the money to go. "Thanks for the invitation Jack, but I think I’ll stay here. I have to set up my email anyway. You two have fun. I'll see you after."

Even before she finished her statement The Doctor was out the door. "OK fine, maybe next time." Jack said, following the Doctor. 

Rose sat back in her chair. She had been in this internship just over 24 hours and her boss hated her. Could he have been any more obvious? He nearly killed Jack right there for asking. This was going to be a long 3 months. And she hadn’t even met the other Smith yet. Maybe she would hate Rose too. The thought of that made Rose's stomach turn. 

OoOo

The Doctor and Jack walked the little ways to the sandwich shop. They were in the downtown district, so they stopped along the way periodically to chat with other solicitors or judges here and there. Some of them the Doctor liked, and some it was clear he was talking to just because he had to. But finally, they were able to sit at their own table without distraction. 

"So, what do you think or Rose? Hot right?" Jack asked while opening his crisps and giving his friend a jaunty look. 

"I think you should mind your own business," the Doctor snapped.

"Oh, come on, she's cute, and smart as a whip."

"I haven't seen that yet, but you know how I feel about interns. They tend to be more of an annoyance than a help. I don't have time to see if she's cute or looks like a grizzly bear. It doesn't matter to me."

Jack barked a laugh. "You have got to be kidding me. Do you think for a second that I haven't seen you look at her?"

"She's an infant."

"But a smart infant. You read her recommendations, this one is perfect. If she wasn't still in school, I'd probably hire her on the spot. "

"I know. Ok, she's pretty, and I can tell that she is smart. but come on, she's a student."

"You know very well that there are no rules against it. "

"I have personal rules Jack. I'm not going there. I, unlike you, have scruples."

"You mean like when you banged your ex-wife on the desk?"

"You know I could kill you and get away with it, right?" the Doctor countered quietly. 

Jack laughed out loud. "Without a doubt. But just tell me, why did you shoot me with your freeze ray eyes when I asked her to join us?"

"Not this week, I'm not up for that. Plus, I don't need her tagging along for lunch, this is when you and I actually get to unwind a little."

"Would you stop it? Rose is a great young lady. You being cranky all week is not helping you in any way. I mean beyond the fact that you are obviously attracted to her, if you're basically an ass all week we're going to lose her. In these last two days I have seen more out of her than our last three interns. Can't you at least be nice? Would it kill you? At least we will get to keep her and maybe when you recover from your craptastic week you can see have a good intern that will be an asset to the practice. And having another good-looking person around here might be good for you. Stranger things have happened."

"I'm not promising anything. But I’ll think about it." the Doctor grumbled. 

"Oh, speaking of promises, are we on for tomorrow night?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I really don't want to."

"C'mon Doc, it's the 5th anniversary of the divorce. You can't expect me to let it go. If you don't go out with me and get drunk you’re letting her win. And we can't have that can we?"

The Doctor wiped his face. "Fine, but only for a few drinks. I have things to do."

"Whatever, it will be fun."

Then finished their lunches together, Jack bantering more that the Doctor, though the Doctor did speak up and tell Jack to stop when he started to go into detail about his first date with Ianto. "Jack, I know love is love, but I don't need the specifics. I'm happy that you found someone, but please no details."

Again, Jack laughed and took both his and the Doctor's trash to the garbage. He went to the door and was surprised to find that the Doctor was back at the counter getting something, which he promptly put back in his pocket. 

OoOo

Back at the office, Rose finished her lunch, cleaned up and headed to the loo. When she came back, there was an enormous cellophane wrapped chocolate cookie sitting on her desk. She sat down and looked at Jack, who had arrived back when she was gone, and wore a smug smile. "Thank you, Jack!" she gushed.

Jack grinned back. "Don't thank me! I didn't do it." The next thing that happened was Rose heard the Doctor’s door click shut.

OoOoOo

The rest of the day was spent with Rose working with Jack on a variety of things. They were reading witness reports on several items for different cases, looking up facts and doing a whole host of duties as assigned by the Doctor. This was the stuff that Rose thoroughly enjoyed. Jack was great at this but complimented her frequently on her breadth of knowledge. More than once they caught themselves giggling. 

Around five, the Doctor came out of his office. Rose hadn't seen him after lunch at all, but could hear him on the phone. Jack also went in to his office on occasion to speak to him, but Rose hadn't needed to. When he emerged, Rose stopped what she was doing and looked up. 

"You can be done for today, Rose," he said, walking past.

She smiled shyly at him. Even when he was being casual he was imposing. "Thank you, Mr. Smith, and thank you for the cookie. It was very nice of you."

He stopped abruptly and looked at her, mouth slightly open. He then nodded curtly and turned and left. 

Jack sighed next to her. "That was his way of saying 'you're welcome'". 

Rose just nodded and gathered her things. The Doctor was quickly becoming a mystery.

OoOo

After checking to see if Jaime was working at the delicatessen (he was) Rose went home. While she fixed a quick dinner of beans on toast for her and her mother, she listened to her mother on the phone with a friend. As per usual the topic was various areas of gossip from around the estate. Though as of late the gossip had turned from who was fighting with whom and whom was dating, etc., to who was arrested or who had overdosed. That in itself was enough to put Rose on edge. This was her home and the fact that it was falling to crime, specifically drugs, was depressing. As children they had had so many dreams for themselves, someone was going to be a movie star, someone else was going to play professional football, they talked about that they would have in their mansions, plans for reunions in Paris were made, but yet nothing ever happened. Those kids grew up, took boring jobs, went to prison or whatever. Currently her mother was talking to her friend about a boy a few years younger than her. Rose had gone to school with his sister. His mother had found him dead in her flat, the needle still in his arm only hours before she got back from work. 

Rose was one of the lucky ones and she knew it. This boy had had such a bright future. She vividly remembered his mother’s excitement when he had scored the winning goal for their school in the finals. Sadly, she figured that she wore a much different expression now. 

Rose’s mum, Jackie, rang off the line and sighed deeply, joining her daughter who was already at the kitchen table. "Hi sweetheart," she said, "that was Carol on the phone. She was telling me about Ethan. His mother found him. It’s such a shame.” Without taking breath, she continued, “And did you hear? Dennis's son just got arrested. He was caught delivering drugs. But he wouldn't give up the real head of the operation, so he's in even more trouble."

Rose took a moment to assimilate. “It’s sad about Ethan, I saw his sister last month and she said he had been doing better. And it’s no surprise about Dennis’s son. He’s been in and out of that life for years. Mum, no one will give up the leader. They make too much money when they aren’t in trouble, and they are too scared when they are. From what I've heard, just by talking to Marjorie and a couple of others, the head guy is called ‘the Master’. But no one knows his real name. He has all those kids eating out of the palm of his hand. They are making money for the first time in their lives. He can't lose. It makes me sick."

Jackie shook her head slowly. "Enough of that dear, tell me, how's the new internship?"

Now it was Rose's turn to sigh. “Well OK I guess, a lot of busy work, and my boss is not very nice. Well I can't say that, he bought me a cookie today."

"A cookie, why?"

"Well, I was eating at my desk. I told them I couldn't go out and he brought me one back. It was weird though. When Jack, the other paralegal asked me to join them, Mr. Smith looked like he was going to kill him. I can't figure him out. I get the feeling he hates me then he goes and brings me a cookie."

"How did he give it to you?"

"It was on my desk when I came back from the loo."

"So, he's not very direct."

"No, but this is the week of the anniversary of his divorce. So, I’ve been warned about him being particularly angry this week."

"Wasn't that supposed to be how he was anyway?"

"Well I was told he had a reputation of being very hard hitting. He expects a lot from his staff. He's apparently a bulldog in court also. A few of the other students from my school were unable to finish their internships because they made minor errors and he basically eviscerated them. But on the up side, a recommendation from him can get you a job anywhere. I just hope I can get the latter."

"Rose, you are the smartest, strongest girl I know. Just do your job and you'll make it through. 

"Thanks Mum,” Rose answered, not sure if her mother was actually correct. 

OoOoOo

 

The Doctor woke the next morning to a deep sense of foreboding. It was the day that his divorce was final, 5 years before. It had been the end of the struggle. Or at least the legal one. By all accounts he had lost that battle. The only time he had ever given up in a fight was against Reinette and he regretted it every day. But she had been his wife and he just couldn't do it anymore. She danced away with everything, leaving him with very little at the time. She had also ripped out his heart. 

During the court proceedings, he had evidence of her multiple affairs, as well as a lot of general bad behavior on her part. She countered with allegations of infidelity on his part as well as shady business dealings that had put her in danger. She had no real proof of anything, but once the words had been said and were out in the universe, he couldn't get them back. The more he fought, the harder and dirtier she fought. Finally, he gave up. Just before he came to the decision he had an episode while at home. Things had been really ramping up with his case and it had turned into an all-out war. He was in the center of it too. He was getting dressed when he started to have searing pain in the middle of his chest. That pain made him crumple, he hit the floor, breathing hard, his hands and feet going numb. He couldn't breathe. Luckily Jack was coming over and found him. He called 999 and the Doctor was rushed to the hospital. After rounds of tests it was said that he had been having a panic attack and he had been hyperventilating. 

That was enough for the Doctor though. He made the decision right then to stop the fight, let Reinette have everything she wanted. To someone on the outside it looked like he just let her win but in truth, it wasn't worth his life. She had won. Since then he had won an overwhelming majority of his cases and if he didn’t win outright he settled. So technically he hadn’t had a loss in five years. It had been exactly 5 years since the divorce ended today. 

The day after the divorce ruling he threw himself into his work. Taking on more and harder clients and winning. Jack asked if it was to prove himself, but the truth was, he had just decided to never lose again.

His impressive win rate notwithstanding, there was still one thing he couldn’t do. The problem was that everyone knew it. No matter how much he won, there was still one thing that stayed. He couldn’t split his practice. Everyone asked him why he couldn’t do it and why he just didn’t sever the ties, but for some reason he couldn’t. Even after being raked on the coals, he just couldn’t. She was the one battle he couldn’t win, and he knew it. They were too much of a force together. The biggest issue that he had with Reinette presently was that when they worked together on a case. When they began working together and all the right things were happening, everything was falling into place, it was like a sweet symphony. Their minds seemed to link, and the combination of their talents could take down anything. The result was beautiful. But the very second it was over, it all came crashing down. The fallout was always ugly. It usually ended in a fight shortly after about who did what. But in that moment that it was all flowing and meshing so well, it was beautiful. That’s what kept him from separating. That feeling. 

He also knew that his coworkers may not be fond of when they worked together. He especially hated when Jack brought up the desk sex. It had happened in a moment of weakness for both of them. They had been working for hours, looking for anything that would turn around a case that seemed have sunk into the depths of inevitable guilt, but they there was a spark, then a light, then they had it. They were both so overwhelmed with the feeling of a successful hunt that it happened in a flash. Then Jack walked in. But at that moment the Doctor didn't care. That had been about 3 years ago now, and he regretted it every day. He knew Reinette was like a drug to him. She made him someone he was not, and it had taken years to see that. Yet when she came round it was like getting a taste again. Luckily for him, she rarely came to his side of things. Now he could live a fairly normal life. If normal was a good name for it. It was mostly a solitary existence. Just he and Jack and a few women here and there. But nothing more than a piece of arm candy at an event. There had been no one who filled in the gap. No one was up to his standards. Maybe that was a good thing. 

Without warning Rose Tyler popped into his head. As surprised as he was to have her in his thoughts, he let her linger there. There were definitely things to admire about her, even in the two days he knew her. She was smart, a hard worker and... well beautiful. He hadn't wanted her to go with he and Jack to lunch simply because he didn't know if he could handle himself in her presence. It being the week it was made that worse. He couldn’t guarantee how he would react to her, nor was he willing to let his guard down yet. Though, there was something about her that he could feel even when she just walked into the room. It was hard for him to take his eyes off her. But he was also right, she was very young and most likely not interested in an old curmudgeon like himself. But it was fun to look.

He sighed and got out of bed and to the shower. Today would be hard. Then came another flicker of thought. Perhaps today would be a good day to see if Rose could lighten it. Perhaps he would invite her into his office for a while to work with him on something, just to teach her. That may not be a bad idea. She was a student after all. Surprisingly she didn't look scared of him, like many interns were. They usually cowered in his presence, Rose didn't. She didn't engage him in conversation, but she didn't hide under her desk. That was also a good sign. Maybe he would actually get to teach her something. And in doing so she could lessen the pain of the day. A distraction would be nice. 

His new revelation gave him a spring in his step. Maybe today would be OK.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. You know when in the tags I put "angst with a happy ending"? Well here is the first part of that. And, because it is long known that I hate to wait, I will be posting another chapter today. It may or may not have to do with me possible not being able to post next week. I hope you like this, I went back and forth on it a lot, trying to assure it wasn't creepy. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the comments thus far!

That morning Rose came in early. She remembered that this was going to be a bad day, so she wanted to be ready for anything that brought. 

Shortly after she arrived, the Doctor walked in. He had a funny smile on his face when she looked up. Rose wasn't quite sure how to address him on this day. She settled for, "Good morning Mr.Smith." Simple, not leading with no indication that she knew anything.

To her surprise he responded, "It is a good morning isn't it Rose?" He still wore an expression that she couldn't read. 

Instead of going directly into his office, he hovered like he had the night before. "Rose, I have a few things I may need your help on today. I feel like I haven't been a really good boss since you started. I think we need to... get together on a few things."

"Yes s... Mr. Smith, that would be nice. I'd love to."

"Good then. I'll have you in after a while. And Rose?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me Doctor if you want." He didn't even wait for an answer, but turned and left a very perplexed Rose behind him.

OoOoO Rose did some easy work that Jack provided until around 10 when the Doctor came out. "OK Rose, I could use you now. Are you busy?"

"No, I'll be right in." She smiled back at him. As a result, he first looked almost fearful but managed a small smile back. It was miniscule, but Rose would take it. 

The work entailed scanning and organizing documents for a case. It was especially nice because Rose was able to show him a couple of shortcuts on his Excel program that linked up the data better. His demeanor throughout was basically nice, mildly conversational, like he asked her what her favorite subject had been in school (criminal law) and where she grew up. He provided very little information on himself but from time to time told her little anecdotes. Nothing turned into long conversations but all in all it was 100% better than what he had done the two previous days. 

Jack had been in and out while they were working and occasionally gave Rose a smirk or two. When the Doctor stepped out he nudged her. “This is good Rosie! I think he’s taking to you. If you keep this up, he’ll have you in the courtroom in no time!”

OoOo

Lunchtime was quickly approaching. At that point the Doctor had been working with Rose for almost 2 hours. 

It had been the best two hours he had had in weeks.

On this day that he was normally miserable, she was a bright spot. Somewhere in the second hour he decided that he would take her to lunch, just to thank her for all her work so far. She worked hard for him and it was time to repay a little, especially because this internship didn't pay much money. That, and if he was being truthful to himself, he was having fun. Rose had a way of brightening up a room. She didn’t take herself totally seriously, but focused well on the task at hand. He was gifted with little sweet smiles when something went well and little cute expressions of frustration when she was confused. She had no problem putting her head right next to his when she was showing him something on the computer, their shoulders touching and her warmth radiating to him. And then there was something that he hadn’t anticipated. She smelled great. He hadn’t noticed it at first, but the closer she got in working with her, the more he noticed. Being that close to her drove her to distraction, and she was just what he needed on that day. 

He had sent her back to her desk for a moment feigning a need to check his email, while in truth he was gathering his courage. He needed a moment to compose himself and plan his words. He didn’t want to sound too much like a boss, but also not like he was asking her out. It would have to be a mix of friend, co-worker, boss and thank you. Finding his words, he started over to her. "Rose?" he started as he reached the doorway between their offices. She looked up with a smile the threatened to melt his insides. “I was wondering if-" he stopped suddenly. A young man had come into the office and was making a beeline for Rose’s desk.

Rose turned to follow the Doctor’s line of sight. She jumped to her feet. "Mickey!" She was around her desk in a flash, hugging the young man. 

"What are you doing here?" they said in unison, now holding each other at arm’s length.

They both laughed, and Rose spoke, "I'm on my internship. I graduate at the end of it. I didn't know you were here! Where do you work?" Her words were tumbling out in her excitement.

"I work for Ms. Smith, on the other side. I just came to drop off some updates on mutual clients for Mr. Smith." He looked at her earnestly. "You look great. I've missed seeing you every day."

"And I'm sorry I didn't get back to you when you called last. It got crazy."

"Oh, I know. But no worries, you’re here now. We’ve got to catch up. Hey, my lunch break is right now do you want to come with me? There's a taco truck that parks down the street and they have half price nachos on Wednesdays. I'm buying!"

Rose grinned at her friend. "Sure, I'd love to. I just have a boring old sandwich. Hang on, I'll see if I can go."

She whipped around, letting go of Mickey and fully intending on doing into the Doctor’s office, but instead found him standing in the doorway. His expression that had been so relaxed when she left him a minute ago was now tight. He looked extremely peeved at something, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what. "Um, Doctor, I'm finished with what you gave me, it's all entered. Do you mind if I go to lunch?"

It took the Doctor a second to answer. "Yes, you can do what you want." Then he turned and went into his office. 

That was certainly odd, Rose thought. He had been at least mildly nice just minutes before. She shrugged, grabbed her bag and waved to Jack and Amy, who was still on the phone. 

After Rose and Mickey left, Jack sauntered into the Doctor's office. "Ok, what was that?" he asked.

"What?" the Doctor was hunched over his keyboard and didn't look up. 

"That Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde thing you just pulled. Don’t think I didn't hear you and her working together. You actually engaged in conversation. Then you went all growly." 

"None of your business."

"Hold up," Jack perched himself on the corner of the Doctor's desk, only to meet with a scowl. "You like her, don't you?"

"Jack, you seriously need to back off."

"And you didn't like it when she took off with that guy. Oh, I knew it!"

"She can do whatever she wants. It's not like she would ever be interested in me anyway.” 

"But you still think about her huh?"

"When I said I could kill you and get away with it I wasn't kidding." He had finally sat up in his chair and was now staring at his friend. 

"OK, that's off limits for now. but I reserve the right to bring it back up after you've had a few pints. That reminds me. Shall we go right from here? I'll see that you get dropped off at home and you can take a taxi back in the morning. That is, if you’re still alive."

The Doctor rubbed his face. "I don't know. It's probably not a good idea to take me out tonight. I'll just be in a worse mood."

"And that's why I'm taking you out. And I'm bringing some friends."

"Ugh, Jack, I hate your friends."

Jack left the Doctor to his thoughts with a promise of take-out Chinese. It was more Jack’s idea than the Doctor’s. Jack had been at least partially right. The Doctor was thinking about Rose. Those hours working together had been fun. More than fun, nice. What he liked about her was that she was smart without the need to show it and wasn’t sucking up to him, as was common with other interns. She was just doing her thing. And in doing that, undoing him.

Never, ever, had he wanted to ask an intern to lunch. Not for the shear reason of wanting to be with them. But he had almost done it. But then the cold reality of the situation came literally running in. Rose was young, she wanted to be around young people. She was just being nice to him as she should have been with a boss. He had allowed himself to be under the delusion that she might fancy him, at least a little. 

He put his head down on his desk. He knew this was not the day to try to sort his feelings, but quickly found he wasn’t in control. The demons of doubt had special fire on that day and descended upon him with tremendous force. He wasn’t desirable to women anymore. Not after all the fights he had fought. Now he was seen as old and mean. Any niceties Rose had sent his way were just that. She was just trying to live through working with him. He was stupid to think that she would even want to eat lunch with him let alone spend any time with him. Maybe even Reinette had been with him out of pity. Their physical relationship had never been loving, but passionate and fierce. 

He was stupid. He should never have even thought to ask her out. He wasn’t even remotely in her league. He banged his head on the desk, not terribly hard, but he felt it. Why today, with his emotions surging, had he opted to try? 

He needed to keep Rose at arm’s length. Not just today but in the future. Trying to inject her into his life to soothe his raw nerves had been a mistake. That was not what she was there for. She was an intern, an employee, and putting her near him just to make him feel better was wrong. He should have just stayed home today. 

Seeing her hug that Mickey or Rickey kid had ripped at him. But it showed him one thing. She was still young, very young and had much to learn. He also was perturbed with her show of affection in the middle of the office. He raised his head and shook it. The more he let this thought fester the stronger it became. Interns were there to assist and that’s what she should do, at least until he knew what to do with her. He had let himself go soft in front of her on a day he was most vulnerable. She had not even proven herself to him and he was treating her like a trusted colleague. 

He stood and went over to the conference table where large stacks of bound paper were. 

 

OoOo

Jack was prattling on over his Lo Mein while the Doctor listened without interest. 

"You will love these friends I’m bringing tonight. They’re both dancers. They'll both give you lots of attention to keep your mind off things. There is no getting out of it, we leave at 5."

"Fine," the Doctor grumbled. 

“Are you even listening to me?”

“No.”

“Listen, I put a lot of effort into tonight. You need to get out and blow off a little steam. Especially since your mood dampened considerably this afternoon.”

“Leave it, Harkness.”

Jack put his hands up in surrender. “Whatever. But now I see how badly you need this.”

OoOo

When Rose got back to her desk after arguably pretty bad nachos with Mickey, she found a large stack of papers on her desk. The Doctor didn't seem to be in, so she pushed them a little to the side and went about checking emails. Her lunch with Mickey was fun but boring too. She had dated Mickey for a while in school, and they had known each other for a long time. But Mickey didn’t have a lot to him. He was good at his work, but beyond that he mainly drank pints at the pub with his friends. There wasn't much else going on with him. She wasn't interested in dating him again, that was for sure. He also had a new girlfriend that he told her all bout. It was nice to have a friend at work though, even if he did work on the other side. 

A rustling and sound of more papers being dumped on her desk made Rose jump. she looked up to see the Doctor standing over her. She gave him a bright smile only to be given an unreadable look back. Jack was behind him, holding two more of the bound stacks and wearing a sympathetic smile. 

The Doctor spoke, "I need all of these examined before tomorrow. If you look at the first book," he opened it to the first page, which was highlighted in green, "you can see that I've indicated a call from this number."

Rose looked closer, the pages looked like very old phone records. 

The Doctor continued," I need all calls from this number highlighted in green and all calls to this number highlighted in yellow." He stood up straight and looked down his nose at her. 

Rose glanced at all the books and then to Jack, who was resting his two on top of the stack. "By tomorrow?" she asked, trying very hard not to sound bewildered at the sheer volume of what she was facing. 

"Yes. I will need them for a meeting." With that he turned and walked into his office, followed closely by Jack.

Rose sighed to herself and peeked over the top of it all at Amy across the room. For once she had not been on the phone. Her friend mouthed "I'm sorry" to her, as Rose grabbed the first book and set it in front of her. What had just happened? An hour before she had been getting along with the Doctor and it looked like he was enjoying it too. Then she went away for lunch and came back to this. It was like a different person came in and took his place. She sighed. Day three and she had already screwed up, the problem was she had no idea what it was. 

OoOoOo  
Jack shut the door behind him and approached the Doctor. "You know that that was cruel."

"She knew what she was getting into when she took this internship. Even in the job description if says there will be a lot of work and long nights. 

"But if we all worked on it, it wouldn't take that long."

"Don’t question me Jack."

"Doctor, the meeting you have on it is on Monday. Why did you have her do it by tomorrow? Is that some sort of test of loyalty? Or punishment? Why are you doing this? Is it just because you are in a bad mood and she went to lunch with another bloke?" 

"Jack," he leveled an intense glare at his friend, "she is the intern, that entails a lot of work. I gave her work to do. End of story. You can leave now."

Jack shook his head. "Fine, whatever. But I don’t think you should punish her for your bad day. I hope you realize that she may quit if you keep this up. By the way, the first two rounds are on you tonight. "

"The first two rounds are always on me. Now leave. You can help her if you want, but she needs to still finish by the morning."

"I’m going to help her," Jack said flippantly, and opened the door. 

Rose was already nose deep in the first book when Jack joined her again. He wordlessly took one off the top and started. Then he thought again. "You know, he's not a bad guy, he just knows what he wants."

"I’m not here long enough to pass judgement on my boss. I'll do what he says,” she answered, not able to hide the disappointment in her voice. 

"He'll get better it's just a bad-"

"I know it's a bad week. It's a bad week for all of us, Jack. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Jack nodded and turned back to his own stack. 

OoOo

At five, Jack stood, stretched, and laid a kiss on Rose’s head. The had made inroads on the paperwork, but he was more than aware that without him her pace would slow. Rose looked up at him smiled and went back to work. Jack got his jacket on and took one more look back at Rose. 

She had taken this crazy directive from the Doctor without any complaint. Other interns had whined and moaned about assignments that were less intense than this one. But she dove in. He could tell she was confused at the Doctor’s change in demeanor. So now Jack was officially torn. The nice and supportive Jack would have stayed after to help her. But the mentor Jack knew that she needed to see the harder side of this job. It didn’t always end when the traditional work day did. Plus, he had a mission tonight. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, he went and collected the Doctor, who was on his mobile. Jack grabbed his arm and wrestled him out of his chair, deftly avoiding the few swings aimed at his head. With him still on the phone Jack nearly pushed him out the door. 

The Doctor only glanced at Rose as he passed, but she didn’t even lift her head. In the lift the Doctor ended his call and smacked Jack on the shoulder. "You could have waited for me to finish."

"No, because kidnapping you is the only way to get you out the door on time. Let's go, the girls are waiting."

The Doctor groaned. "I thought you were into guys."

"I am, but some things you just can't pass up."

"I'm sure I can.” He stilled and patted his shirt. “Wait, I forgot my jacket and keys” He thought about having to encounter Rose again. “Ugh, I'll get them later. I won't be out long anyway."

"I'll be the judge of that." Jack winked at him and received another smack from the Doctor. 

OoOo

Back in the office, Amy cleaned off her desk then approached Rose. "Hey, I'm sorry about all this, can I get you anything?"

Rose sat back and rubbed her eyes. She had totally forgotten Amy was even there to witness everything. "No, I've just have to get through it."

“Well, since no one is here, blast some tunes. And if it is any consolation, I think the Doctor likes you. At least more than the other interns he's had."

"How can you possibly know that? You are glued to your phone all day."

"Oh, I may be talking and listening, but I see all. I'll be right back." Amy flitted away only to come back a few minutes later with a bag of crisps, some sort of jelly doughnut thing wrapped in cellophane and an energy drink. "Here, I have dinner and energy for you. I bid you good luck." She gave Rose a little salute.

"Thanks," Rose replied earnestly.

The night wore on as Rose found her way through all the papers. She even had to go and find new highlighters as her original ones ran dry. After a while she developed a system. If she used a ruler on the column she could look for the one fairly unique number to the one she was looking for. Then all she had to do was double check and highlight. It was going pretty fast overall, but the sheer volume of the paper was the issue. 

At nearly two in the morning Rose finished the last entry. She had long since reached the part where even her music annoyed her. But she stretched and yawned loudly. Everything hurt, but especially her shoulders neck and eyes. But she finished. To that she made a little happy noise. She stacked the books neatly on her desk and was reaching for her purse when she heard the outer door to the office open. She froze. There in the doorway was the Doctor, looking disheveled, a little bit unfocused and most positively drunk.

He didn't say anything to her, only glancing her way briefly, maybe not even noticing her there, but shuffled past. As he did Rose caught a whiff of not only alcohol, but expensive perfume. She could even see that he had lipstick on his collar. She scrunched up her nose in disgust. He had all the markings of a dirty old man, liquor, girls, bad decisions. Why he was there she didn't know, but she did know that she needed to leave, now. She grabbed her things as fast as she could. Seeing him like this was a shock, but not a huge one. She had heard stories from other interns about their boss’s behavior. Powerful people sometimes had different morality than the common ones. Rose could not get out of there fast enough. 

She had just made it into the lift with the doors nearly closed when a hand shot in between them. It was him, he had his leather jacket on now and was fumbling with something. It was a set of keys. 

OoOo  
In the hurry to leave with Jack, the Doctor had forgotten his leather jacket. In that leather jacket were the keys to his flat. He had intended on retrieving both and having the security guard summon a taxi. What he hadn't intended on was Rose Tyler being at the office when he came back. He had no need to impress the security guard, but Rose was another story altogether. 

The night out with Jack hadn't been very fun. The heavy cloud of the day, and thus the reason for the night out, hung heavily over him no matter how Jack tried. He didn't want to dance with the girls, and they pretty much clung to him. His pessimistic mind thought that they were doing so because they could smell money on him. They were beautiful, but a little rough around the edges. Not really his style. But the drinks were flowing, and Jack was challenging him to take shots, which he reluctantly did, hoping the clouds would dissipate. Unfortunately, they only made it worse. By the end of the night he couldn't stop thinking about Reinette and how good it felt when everything was good. At one point when the blonde dancer was nuzzling his neck, and no doubt getting her lipstick on him, his thoughts went to Rose. He thought about how it felt to be close to her and how he would very much like to be again. Then he thought about how she would never be interested in him. That ended the night. 

He ended up being drunk, unhappy and without his keys. Now he was drunk, unhappy and embarrassed to be with Rose Tyler. This was not how he wanted her to see him. Then without thinking he stopped the lift doors. Now he was in the lift with her, his bad decisions on display. And now Rose was staring at him, incredulously. 

"You're not planning to drive, are you? You can't possibly be that stupid." She nearly spat out the last sentence. 

The Doctor took an unsteady step back and took her in. She looked very tired and very angry. His alcohol soaked mind wasn't able to come out with the appropriate, "Oh no, I would never drive while impaired, I was simply going to go down and appropriate a taxi." But instead he grunted. 

Rose snatched the keys from his hand. "Well I'm not letting you drive, I'll take you home." There was no question in her statement. No indecision at all. He didn't have an answer for her either. Taking charge like she did just stopped him in his tracks. All he could do was stare back at her blinking. He realized that it made him look probably more intoxicated than he was, but he had no recourse. 

When the lift doors opened, she walked ahead of him to the attached parking garage. He had to work to keep up, she was moving way too fast for someone in his state to match her pace. She walked to where the assigned spaces were and stood looking around. There were about 10 cars still parked in the spaces. Without a word, she pressed the key fob until one vehicle about 100 feet away beeped and the lights flashed. Not checking to see if he was following, she went to it, unlocking the doors and sliding into the driver's side. 

The Doctor loped over to the passenger side and got in, landing harder in the seat than he had anticipated. When he got in, he saw that she was fiddling with the GPS mounted in the dash. Next, she pulled out of the spot, all without a word. 

The night's activities were now disconnecting his brain further pushing him further into his drunken oblivion. Those last shots were finally taking their toll. Just before he left, Jack insisted that they make a few toasts. He had two more shots in him before he could break away. He had been able to keep it together in the taxi back to the office, but minute by minute he was slipping. Now all he could do was sit back in his haze and let her take control. 

Being in the car with her only drew his attention to her more though. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Logic had long since escaped him as his head shifted to the side and he took her in. She was truly a beauty. Then it got worse. He inhaled deeply and he smelled her. She smelled sweet like berries. But when he looked at her, she didn't look sweet, she looked angry. 

He had to say something. Yeah, something intelligent to let her know he was alright. All he had managed so far was a grunt. That wouldn't do. He was in a car with the most beautiful woman and she was taking him... where? He couldn’t remember. He chose his words as carefully as he could. Though, "Where're we goin'?” was what came out. 

Rose didn't even turn to him. "I am taking you home.”

“How do ya know where I live?”

“You have a GPS location for ‘home’”

“Oh,” then, “are you goin’ to stay staying with me?" He couldn't stop himself. She was taking him home! Maybe he had a chance! 

"No." she snapped. "You are my boss, don't ask me that."

"'M sorry," he uttered. Not sure why she was not being nice. The ride was nice though and he found his eyelids drooping, succumbing to what he had ingested. 

He was jerked awake by a bump in the road in time to see that he was almost home. Briefly he had forgotten who was driving and was very pleased to see that it was Rose Tyler. He inhaled deeply. She smelled so good. She made his whole car smell good. He remembered why it was all happening. He moved his hands. They were almost numb. Oh yeah, he was drunk, really, really drunk and she was taking his sorry ass home. But boy did she smell good. 

She pulled the car into the car park for his building. The gate raised when they approached and received a wave from a very bored security guard, who's eyes widened at the sight of her driving. Once in, Rose slowed. "Which one is your space?" she asked. 

"Nine," he slurred. 

As he did, he leaned a little closer to her. Oh, she smelled good. As she pulled into the space, he found himself leaning further in, just to capture more of that smell. She put the car in park quickly and the rapid stop caused him to pitch forward just enough for his face to brush her shoulder. 

Rose jumped back, her expression saying it all. She went from angry to horrified in less than a second. He reacted too, like a sudden jolt of sobriety he, too, jumped back shocked. What was he doing?

Rose scrambled out of the car next, leaving him to follow at a slower pace. They met at the back of the car and she presented the keys to him, actually she set them on the car for him to take. Then wordlessly she jogged away, leaving a still very, inebriated very confused, very embarrassed Doctor in her wake. 

OoOo  
Rose knew she had no choice but to drive her boss home in his current state. How could he even consider driving like that? Did he not know the consequences? Of course, he did, but maybe he thought he was above the law, or maybe he wasn't thinking at all. None the less, Rose was mad, madder than she had been in a long time. This was supposed to be the best internship out of them all. It was highly competitive just to be looked at and she had gotten it. No one said it would be with a drunk womanizer. 

In truth, Rose had been starting to be a little interested in her boss. Nothing over the top, no teenage crushes, but she admired him. When he had brought her the cookie that had been very sweet. And working together with him in his office had been fun. He even told her a few stories and made her laugh. But then again, he had turned so quickly when Mickey had come in. For a brief second, she had allowed herself to think he may have fancied her. But none of that mattered now. Seeing him act like this drained all the admiration from her. The icing on the cake was his look of horror when he realized who she was. The mutual disrespect was obvious. She was puzzled on why he leaned in in the first place. Maybe he mistook her for someone else in his haze. But if there had been anything there, it had dissolved now. She would be lucky if she was able to trust him again for anything. One thing for sure the remaining time in her internship would be torture.

"May I help you miss?" came the bored voice of the security guard at the entrance. 

Rose startled, she had forgotten about him. "Yeah, sorry, do you think there is any way to get a cab from here at this hour?"

He looked her up and down then smiled." Sure, I have to call for a lot of cabs at this time of night for visitors of our residents. Hold on." He picked up a nearby phone and quickly dialed a number. He spoke briefly and hung up. 

It then dawned on Rose why exactly the guard would have to call for rides. "Um, I'm not a..."

"Prostitute?" He grinned at her. "I know. Mr Smith doesn't do that, at least to my knowledge. I just figured you were a friend. He doesn't have visitors but very rarely. But he was pretty pissed. I radioed into the lobby for one of my coworkers to make sure he got in his flat OK... He did."

Rose wasn't sure if she should be relieved that he made it or not. Any thought she had of him at the moment was clouded and frustrating. "Good," she muttered. 

The cab came along quickly to take her home. It was good because she was more than exhausted. It was now 3 am, and she had to wake at 6 for work. That put her at having two and a half hours of sleep at most. Then she would have to face Mr. Smith, that was if he made it in at all.


	5. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! I had a chapter mix up!  
> Maybe you should start back a chapter and then read this one. I'm so sorry! I've fixed it now.  
> I'm going to go climb under a rock.  
> Here's some more angst for you while I make rock friends.

The Doctor's eyes began to flutter open. Wherever he was was very bright. He rolled over in bed and let out a loud groan. Everything hurt, but mostly his head, which was pounding. He quirked one eye open only to shut it immediately in the brightness. After another minute he tried. This time it wasn't as painful. He looked around. He was in his bedroom, but had no idea how he actually got there. He must have left the lights on. He felt down his side. He was still fully dressed, jacket and all. Somehow, he had fallen into bed. His last real memory was with Jack. "C'mon just one more shot,” were the last words he remembered hearing. 

He rolled over and painfully sat up. Then he stumbled out of bed and into his ensuite, dropping clothes along the way and headed into the shower. The smells on him were repulsive. Alcohol smell seeped from his skin and mixed with the perfume that must have been on his shirt too. Together they caused nausea to hit like a train. He flew open the shower door, and just made it to the commode to vomit. That, too was horribly unpleasant. He did eventually finish his shower though, which only helped a little. 

After drying himself off and dropping the towel in a pile on the floor, he forced himself to go into the kitchen for water bottle, ended back in bed, naked, before reality started to make it in.

He was downing his water when the questions started. How did he get home? Had he been with somebody, though being fully dressed seemed to answer that. What had he done between the last round of drinks and now?

Where was his car?

Slowly, images started to spark in his brain. Like him they were sluggish and not complete. He saw himself saying goodnight to Jack and nearly tripping on the carpet in the bar. Then he remembered getting in a cab. Then getting in his car? But on the passenger side? He forced himself to try to remember who was driving. But his thoughts lost that track and went to how he got his jacket. Rose. Rose was there. He remembered being embarrassed to see her. Oh God. Rose took him home. He remembered now. The next thing he thought of was the look on her face. Had he tried something? She looked terrified and mad all in one. What had happened? Suddenly he felt nauseous and ran for the bathroom, vomiting violently again. This time, though, it was at the thought of doing something he didn't remember with the girl he had been fond of. 

 

When he got back up he searched his pants for his phone. It was 8am and he had no calls or texts. Only slightly relieved, he let himself fall back into bed and fell into a fitful sleep for another two hours. 

OoOoOo

Rose had to force herself out of bed after her sleep, more like a nap. Over coffee she gave her mom a few of the details. Mainly angry accounts of "I work for a monster. I can't believe I thought he was attractive. Now he makes me want to puke." And, "If I make it to the end of this it’ll be a miracle. I could not get away from him fast enough." Her mother tried to be supportive, at the same time openly threatening her boss's life. For once, Rose did not stop her. 

Somehow, she made it to the office on time. Jack was not there, and she quickly was told that the Doctor was not in either by Amy, who also took her in slowly. "Rose? What happened to you? You didn't go out with them, did you?"

"Oh God no, I just got the leftovers. I barely finished all that crap work he gave me. Then he came in and got his keys. I thought he was going to try to drive so I took him home myself. It just took forever."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Amy answered, just as her phone started to ring. 

It wasn't like Rose didn't have things to do, but on purpose she went into the Doctor's office and dropped all the completed work. She looked around as she was in there. Everything was in order, but this place didn't hold the austerity it did only 24 hours ago. Now it was the den for someone else. As she was leaving, she had a thought. She had been thinking about him as the Doctor as he had asked. but it didn't feel right anymore. 

She sat back at her desk. When Jack had trained her, he had given her a list of projects that could be completed when she had nothing else to do. They were all easy, getting updates on phone and fax numbers, websites and such as well as answering easy inquiries. It was not by any stretch exciting, but at least it was something to keep her busy.  
OoOo

The Doctor made it into work by 11:30. He wasn't surprised when Jack called off sick. Pussy. But he had things to do. He also needed to do some damage control. That was if he could. The one memory that was not hazy was the one of her face. It was the face of someone who was repulsed, maybe a little afraid and a whole lot mad. It wasn't something that would be fixed with a cookie. 

When he came into the office, Amy was on the phone as usual, but eyeing him severely. She knew. He eyes fell to Rose, sitting stiffly at her computer. There was no question she saw him. But she hadn't acknowledged him yet. He approached her desk and noticed the books he had given her, that were admittedly busy work, were gone. 

He spoke, because if he didn't he may never be able to speak to her again. "Rose, were you here at eight?"

Rose didn't look up from her monitor. "Yes, Mr. Smith, that's the time I'm supposed to be here." Her words were clipped and cold, each feeling like a tiny bullet into his heart. 

"Did you finish the-"

"The books are completed and in your office."

"Thanks," was all he could get out before trudging toward his office. No "Are you alright?" or "Did I do anything?" or "Thank you for delivering my sorry arse home." Just, "thanks." He was ashamed of himself. But had no other words to say. When he reached his desk, it hit him that she had called him "Mr. Smith" again. That seemed to sting the most.

The Doctor went into his office and approached his desk. The books were indeed there. He flipped through them idly. Then he looked a little closer. Her work was meticulous. Each highlighted line was perfect. Each also lined up perfectly. Not only has Rose done the work, staying absurdly late to do it, but she did it perfectly. Every entry was the same too. He could not believe his eyes. He glanced towards the office door, even though he couldn’t see her, he looked amazed. She was a gem, no question. It made the previous night's events that much more painful. The weight of his actions pushed hard on his shoulders, guilt settling in his already uncomfortable gut. 

Normally the Doctor had no problem with how people thought of him. He got results and that was all that mattered. He mowed over many people in his way. When he set his sights on anything he was laser focused until he got it. That was the trait he needed to be as tremendously successful as he was. But somehow how Rose thought of him mattered. Even in the little amount of time he had had with her. From the first moment he laid eyes on her in his office, after the splashing, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. She, on the other hand, most likely thought of him as nothing more than a scoundrel. That was not how he wanted her to see him. But he still had no idea why. How could someone who he had just met make him care?

He heard rustling outside of his office and peeked out the door to see Rose sleepily gathering her things. She must have been headed to lunch. She didn't need his approval to do so, as Jack was in charge that stuff. He also had had the foresight to assign some tasks for her to work if she had not been assigned anything. Luckily for the Doctor, he didn’t have to work with her on that day, as he wasn't sure he could face her for any length of time. 

She said something about being back in an hour to Amy and the Doctor watched her go, immediately feeling the loss. Then he turned and picked up all the huge books in his arms and headed out the door. Amy eyed him warily as he walked past, but he was careful to avoid eye contact. 

The Doctor walked over several offices down to that of a junior partner, Leo Watson. Leo was a sharp solicitor and the Doctor was happy to have him in his corner. He could see him making full partner one day. Not only was he smart, but he was always working angles, on everything. What made him an annoying person made him great in court. He was another man who got results. Leo's office was one of the nicer ones in on the floor. He had an outside window, a recent acquisition after the Doctor had fired another junior partner for not having a high enough success rate. Leo looked up at him when he entered. 

"Well hello there, Doctor. Why are you bringing those back to me?” He indicated the books. Leo had brought those to the Doctor only a few days before looking for answers on how to get through that much work in a short amount of time. It was for a case he was working together with the Doctor on. It was a big case, spanning years though, and would still take a considerable amount of work before they would be ready. 

The Doctor plopped the books down in a chair opposite the other man. "They're done, I had my intern work on them and she finished them."

"She finished them? Are you kidding me? I didn't expect those done for weeks. Are you sure she did a good job? It would massively fuck things up if she missed the entries."

"See for yourself," the Doctor said, picking one up and holding it out to him. Leo also had no filter, which made the Doctor like him more. 

Leo took the book and started paging through it and the Doctor wandered over to the window. Below he could see a courtyard between several of the buildings on the block. It was treed with paths throughout. In the center was a little amphitheater that local artists sometimes came to perform for tips. Something caught his eye, a blonde head. He squinted and looked closer, his forehead leaning against the glass. It was Rose. She was sitting on the steps that acted as seats of the amphitheater. She had little lunch laid out, it looked like she had bought it somewhere close and sat there just to eat. But she wasn’t eating, she was laying down, feet outstretched and reclined on her elbows, looking up towards the sun. She wore sunglasses, but it looked to him like she was basking in it. It shone on her face, illuminating her features. He couldn't help but take a breath. She was a vision. 

He hadn't noticed that Leo had sidled up beside him. "Hey, isn't that your new intern?"

The Doctor stepped back, but didn't take his eyes off her. "Yeah."

"Wow I saw her when she started. She's really hot. Are you going to tap that?"

John broke his gaze from Rose and fixed a glare on Leo, who grinned back. Another thing about Leo was that he was completely unafraid of him. One of the few. "Have a little decorum. Would you please?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You like her. But God, she's young, " countered Leo unapologetically. 

"Ok, she's beautiful and as you will see be her work, brilliant, but she thinks I'm a total cad. If for a moment I thought I had a chance, I blew it."

"Oh, I sense a story."

The Doctor sighed and turned away from the window, his hand wiping over his face. "I was actually looking at her, thinking about maybe perusing something. I worked with her closely on Tuesday and it was a dream. She's smart, both book smart and in life. She has her own ideas and didn't seem scared of me. And I just didn't feel like I wanted to be cross with her, not like I usually do with interns. They usually majorly piss me off but her, I wanted to get to know her. She's worked very hard for what she has. Right away I could see her working here. She's so strong. I'd love to have her."

"I sense a big 'but’ coming."

"But… I'm a total arse and screwed it up all in one fell swoop." Leo raised his eyebrows and gave the 'c'mon gesture.

"So last night Jack took me out for the anniversary. Anyway, I drank way too much. It would have been fine, but I forgot my flat keys and my jacket. I came back for them. I had fully intended on taking a taxi home, but she must have thought I was going to drive. So, she took me."

"And... what did you do? Please tell me this was nothing I would have to defend you in court with."

The Doctor scoffed. "No, nothing like that. But I think I tried to kiss her or something. I'm not sure. It's all kind of foggy. But I remember leaning in and her jumping back like I had shocked her. I can only imagine her seeing my face too. I was mortified when I realized what was happening. But her face was classic. She was disgusted. So at least I know where she stands. I don't know if I ever had a chance at all with her, but surely not now. All I can hope is that she doesn’t retaliate. Could you imagine what would happen if she went to her school with this or God forbid, Reinette?"

"Do you think she will?"

"I hope not, but it depends on how she interpreted it. I want to apologize, but I don't exactly know what for. I think the thing that makes me the maddest is that it happened at all. I must have looked terrible in her eyes. It's not exactly how an employer should look to an employee."

"Especially when that employer is interested in said employee."

"That ship has sailed." He let out a long breath. "If you could have seen her face. She is repulsed by me. So she probably wasn't very happy with me in the first place, but now I'll be lucky if she ever talks to me again. It wouldn't surprise me if she quit."

"But yours is the best internship out there as far as being fired is concerned. Everyone knows if they can live through this they can work anywhere. Plus, they come out of here much better at what they do. She should be thanking you."

"You're funny," the Doctor growled, looking outside once again. 

"Would you like for me to say something to her?"

"Only if you want to get shit canned."

 

OoOoOo

The Doctor finished with Leo, who inspected Rose's work and admitted to its perfection. He re-entered his office to find Rose very stiff, typing at her computer. She didn't look up when he passed. 

He went into his office and closed the door. Somehow that felt better, knowing that no one could see him now. When he got to his desk, he put his head down on it and groaned. He still had a massive headache, and the weight of everything that happened with Rose made it worse. With his head still on his desk, he dug his phone out of his pocket and called Jack.

"'Lo?" Jack groggily answered.

"Are you alive?" the Doctor asked.

"No. Are you?"

"Technically vertical but dying on the inside. You need to be better tomorrow though, we have a lot of work to get done."

"Um, you know I can't, Doctor. You have me at the courthouse almost all day tomorrow remember?"

"Oh shit. I remember now. Damnit! What am I supposed to do? I have to finish witness documentation for the Myers case by tomorrow night, so I can leave town on Monday. What am I going to do now?"

"Um, why not use Rose? She can handle it."

"No way." 

The next half hour was spent explaining the Rose debacle in great detail. After which Jack said the fateful words, "You have to use her, you have no other choice. I suggest you apologize and try to move forward. If she hates you like you think she does, you need to just bite the bullet and try to make it pleasant for her."

"I don't even know what to say."

"Doctor, you are the most well-spoken and convincing man in England or maybe the world. You can think of something to say."

"I doubt it." The Doctor rang off. He hadn't lifted his head off the desk. 

OoOoOo

The Doctor stayed in his office with the door shut for the rest of the day under the guise of having a lot of work to do. Just before five o'clock he got up and stretched. He only felt more retched, despite trying to pound water all day. Luckily, he had a private loo or he would have had to leave repeatedly. 

He carefully opened the door to see an exhausted Rose, her eyes drooping, staring at her screen. 

"Uh, Rose?" he started.

For the first time since he arrived that day she looked at him. She was pale now, dark circles under her eyes. She didn't smile. But she was still beautiful. "Uh Rose, I just wanted to tell me that you will need to be with me tomorrow... all day. I have a huge project to do and Jack will be at court all day. "

"Yes Mr. Smith," she replied dully, "is that all for today?" Her face showed no emotion. The spark that was in her eyes just the day before was gone. He wondered if that was because she was beyond tired or because of him. Maybe both.

"Yes Rose, thank you," he answered. He watched as she gathered her things and ambled out of the office. 

OoOoOo  
Rose barely got home after falling asleep on the bus. The only thing that saved her was that the driver knew her and woke her at her stop. Painfully she made her way towards the staircase. She numbly opened the door and started in only to come across Spikey whispering to a small gathering of boys. Rose again recognized them, this group was all older than the last she had broken up, and they all were trouble. Rose, however had had it. The trouble with the Doctor, no sleep, and the continual stress of the downturn of the estates was too much. 

"What are you doing here?" she screamed. All of them looked up at her with varying degrees of anger and aggression. A couple of the boys stepped back, but Spikey stepped forward. 

"What are YOU doing here?" he demanded, “I'm doing business. And you're interrupting." He was about her height, maybe a little taller and about her age. He wore a sneer that showed off surprisingly perfect teeth. 

Rose didn't back down. "This is my home. You're a criminal and you need to leave.”

Spikey was not backing down though. "Oh, I think you have it wrong. This is my home now and these guys are my family." He indicated the boys around him. "You need to leave before we make you leave." 

"No, you can't turn this estate into a drug den. There are good people here. You can't control it!" she yelled at him.

Unexpectedly his sneer turned to a bright smile. "Oh, I think I already do. Look around Princess, this is not your home anymore. I own it now." With that he took two quick steps toward her, causing her to step back and hit up against the concrete wall. The bigger boys advanced too. Rose knew this was not good. She knew without a doubt that she was about to be overwhelmed. Her stomach clenched with anxiety. Something bad was about to happen. For the first time in her life she was completely paralyzed by fear. She couldn't take her eyes from him, but she couldn't scream either. 

Miraculously, a door a floor above them opened and shut. They could hear the unmistakable sounds of a man having a one-way conversation. All at once, every one of them realized that the person descending the stairs was a police officer. The boys were gone in a flash. Spikey lingered the longest though. Just before the police officer came into view he made a gun gesture with his fingers and pointed it at her chest. He quietly said "Pow," and ran out, leaving her fighting to breathe.

The officer made it to her seconds later and saw her distress. After getting a quick and breathless synopsis from Rose, he called for backup and went to look for Spikey. But when he got outside, there was no sign of him. When he came back to her he helped calm her, so she could give a statement. Only then was she able to climb the stairs to her own flat. The officer had told her that they were looking for Spikey to question him, but he was hard to find. He did, though, assure her that they were on the case, but Rose that did little for Rose’s confidence. If he was out there and they couldn’t get him, he could come back and retaliate against her at any time. There was no way she wasn’t on his radar now. 

At home Rose found that her Mother was out. Instead of cooking dinner though, she undressed and fell into bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason AO3 wanted to say that this was chapter 7. Now I'm confused. But here is Chapter 6. How about some resolution? But oh no, I'm not done. There is WAY more torture on its way. Thank you for your predictions on what is happening and your kind words. I'm having a lot of fun with this. I have even resurrected another story that had slipped between the cracks. That will be up next. But for now... onward!  
> P.S. I may not post until next week, a busy weekend approaches!  
> We are all set with chapters now. I don't know how the mix-up happened but it's better now!

The next morning the Doctor was in on time, feeling decidedly more human, and was pleasantly surprised to see Rose there too. However, she still looked as if she hadn't slept. Her dark circles were still visible, but weren't as bad. But she also still looked pale. If he had to guess, she also looked worried. That did not bode well for him. If she was anxious about working with him, it would be even more difficult work with her, let alone apologize. 

"Good morning Rose," he said, offering his kindest voice. It was actually harder than he thought to address her. He, being who he was, he never had trouble addressing people, but Rose was different. Usually he just spoke as he felt, frequently with a rather harsh tone, not out of being angry, but more knowing what he wanted. But this was not court, this was him trying in a few words to break the ice with someone he had wronged. Even if he hadn’t done anything, which he still sorely hoped he hadn’t, he still put her in a difficult situation. 

Rose looked up and gave him a slight smile, to which his heard sang. Until she answered, "Good morning Mr. Smith." Her voice held none of its usual brightness. It was all business on that day. 

His heart sank a little and he struggled to not show it. "Um I'll do a few things then I'll have you into my office to do a few things, OK?"

She held her miniscule smile. "Yes sir."

He cringed inwardly at her response. Everything in him wanted to react to that. She knew he didn't like that. He had corrected her before, but somehow her answer made sense. She was not fond of him right now, maybe not at all. 

He went into his office without any further exchanges. Before he knew it, he was ready to go fetch Rose. He wiped his face and groaned quietly. He had been dreading this. Normally adversarial relationships did not bother him at all. He could work with or against anyone. All he had to do was stick to his guns. But this time was different. This was someone that he liked, someone he had hoped may start to like him back. At least someone who he hoped would tolerate him. That didn't seem to be an option given the current situation. And this time he was entirely at fault. 

He got up and forced a kind face to replace his current scowl. He peeked around the door to her. "Rose? I'm ready for you now."

She nodded and stood up stiffly and followed him in. He couldn't ignore the look the Amy and Rose exchanged though. It wasn't insubordinate, but more dread filled. 

He pointed to a chair at a large table at the back of his office. “Have a seat over there, I'll bring the things to you.” She did as she was told, not saying anything. 

The Doctor set up his laptop then used a remote to activate a hidden screen that unrolled from the ceiling. Rose jumped when it started. It was rather loud, but only drove home how uncomfortable she was in his presence. 

Next the Doctor hooked up a projector to his laptop and began explaining to Rose what they were doing. At last he took a chair next to her. Then it hit him. She smelled unbelievable. It hit him like a hammer to the head. Memories of the night she drove him home came flooding back, including him leaning towards her and her face. 

Cold prickles shot down his back and his heart began to race. He had to set this right. Without thinking he blurted out. "I'm sorry for Wednesday night Rose, well I suppose it was Thursday morning. This is not how I treat my staff. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. But you really helped me out." They were definitely not the most eloquent words he had ever spoken, but at least they were out. 

His statement was met with a shy voice. "It’s alright Mr. Smith, things happen." She was letting him off the hook, but it didn't even sound like she was convinced with her own words. 

He turned to her for the first time since she sat. She still looked pale. He wasn't finished though. "Rose, I need you to know that..." he didn't know how to continue. "God, I’m rotten at this. Did... I do... anything to you? " With that he looked back at the table and waited for the blow.

"No," came the wooden answer.

His eyes found her face again. "Are you sure? I can't remember, but I thought..."

"You didn't do anything to me."

He blew out a breath. "Ok thank you. That's a relief. I never would have intended on doing anything. That's not the kind of man I am. Of course, I wasn't in my right mind." He gave her a sheepish grin.

Her answer floored him. "Oh, I have found that no matter the state of mind, people act much like they are normally." 

What was she saying? He scrambled to answer. "I'm not like that, I assure you. I never go out like that. Jack ... well he's a bad influence I'm afraid. But that's not normal for me. I drink, yes, but not like that. I like to keep control, that was an anomaly."

"Yes Mr. Smith." She nodded inconvincibly. 

This wasn't working. Normally people called him all kinds of names and he had no problem. He knew he was a man that got what he wanted and by whatever means needed. Except for with women. He drew the line there. He had always been a passionate and caring lover. That was his downfall and he knew it. That's why Reinette was able to dominate him like she did. When it came to matters of the heart he was a sucker. And now with the sweet, smart and very good smelling girl in front of him he needed to be careful not to scare her away. 

He tried again. "Rose, I know my reputation. I have sunk my share of ships and ruined careers, but there are some places I refuse to tread. I would never take advantage of anyone. Well, maybe in court, but they deserve it. And you, you don't deserve it. You were doing me a huge favor. What happened was inexcusable. But you also have to know that my intentions were benign."

For the first time, she turned her whole body towards him, fire in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "What I saw was a boss who was much too close to an employee, rules or no rules, it was inappropriate."

The Doctor leaned away from the wrath of Rose. Very few people ever dared confront him, yet this little pink and yellow girl did. And boy did she ever. 

He stood up and started to pace, feeling her eyes on him. Finally, he stopped, leaning with his hands on the table opposite her. "You could not be righter. But you also have to know that in all my years, I have never, ever done anything like that. I'm an idiot, not a monster."

Somehow that struck Rose as funny. For a brief second, she actually cracked a smile.

He ran with it. "Besides, in my drunken stupidity, I actually had a reason."

"Oh, I have got to hear this," she answered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

He took a breath, rubbed his hands over his face but stopped just before he took them away so the still covered his face. "You smelled good. That was it. I wasn't trying to do anything other than to smell you. God, it sounds asinine now, but it's the truth. My inebriated brain thought you smelled good and I wanted to smell more. Oh Lord, someone shoot me now."

There was a giggle on the other side of the table. He slowly lowered his hands to reveal Rose, smiling only slightly bigger than before, but laughing. "If that is the truth, you are an idiot."

A wave of relief swept over him. "I'm not going to contest that. But can you forgive me? Can you see that it was just a bad situation and my ignorance that made it what it was? I never wanted to drag you into that. But I had so little control. You really saved me, but it kills me that it happened like that.”

Rose took a moment to look him over. He certainly looked sincere, is big blue eyes searching her for forgiveness. He didn’t even look like the same man she had met only days before. He looked so open now, so vulnerable. He wasn’t the big powerful Doctor, but a man with his heart on his sleeve. Rose took a breath to speak, as she did his eyes widened. “I suppose that I could give you a chance. Everyone makes mistakes, and it was a particularly bad day for you.”

The Doctor lowered his head for a second then raised it again to look her squarely in the eye. He now also wore a bright smile. “Thank you, but now that we’re on the same page, can we get to work?"

Rose nodded and with that he came to sit next to her again. With the tension released, it made the work session easier. They covered a huge amount of ground before the Doctor finally looked at his watch.

"Blimey it's 1:00, we worked through lunch. But I don't want to break just yet, do you mind if we order in?"

"Uh," Rose hesitated. She actually had brought a very simple lunch, a can of soup and a few crackers. She was definitely making her money stretch until payday. Eating out wasn't in the budget, especially now that she had had to buy lunch the day before. "I have my lunch. I can just heat it up."

"Nonsense, we've made great strides today. We'll order." His voice was firm. That was, until he caught her shy expression. "Rose, it's my treat."

She perked up a bit. "You don't have to."

"Yes, I do, and I will. Remember, no one says no to me.... Oh God, that was terrible. I mean... Um..."

To his immense relief, Rose laughed. "In light of our conversation earlier, I understand your point. I also that know that you seldom lose a battle, if that is what you are referring to. I, however, also know that you wouldn't intentionally hurt someone. So, I'll be happy to accept your offer to buy lunch."

The Doctor smiled broadly. Rose was a taken aback. She hadn't ever seen this side of him. He produced a menu from a local sandwich place and took her order. She picked a cup tomato soup and a half chicken sandwich. He then told her to take a few minutes to herself before they would start again. When she went into her office area, Amy was just returning from lunch. Her boyfriend Rory kissed her quickly but sweetly and left. Amy turned to Rose and mouthed "Are you ok?"

Rose nodded and whispered, "It's fine. We figured it out. I'll tell you later." Amy nodded. 

OoOoOo

Rose and the Doctor got back to work soon after, but took a brief break when the food got there. He unloaded it from the bags, setting it in front of her. When he was done setting out their food he still held the bag. He was smiling. 

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He reached into the bag and produced two impossibly big cookies, setting one in front of her. "Cookies are the best part," he said, clearly feeling very clever. 

Or you have a sweet tooth and you can't help yourself. " Rose countered. 

"Are you sure you don’t want to go to law school?" he suddenly asked. "You’re very persuasive." He sat next to her again. 

Rose stopped eating. "I thought about it. But realistically, there was no way to financially pull it off. The amount of debt I incurred just to go through paralegal studies at uni will keep me in debt forever. I can’t imagine paying for law school. As it is I live with my mum and eat soup from a can for lunch."

"Oh, I bet if anyone could, you could find a way." He said quietly, before turning back to his lunch. Rose simply did not know how to counter that, but instead took a bite of her sandwich. 

OoOoOo

The day turned to afternoon and was approaching evening and they still had work to do. It was coming along very well though. So much so, that the Doctor sent Jack home when he returned rather than try to explain where they were and how he could help. At least that was his excuse. Rose wondered though, because in her opinion, another hand would have made it go even faster. 

OoOoOo

The Doctor knew it was stupid to send Jack home, but was enjoying himself thoroughly. Rose was a fantastic work partner. He did well with Jack, but somehow this was more fluid, it was if she anticipated his moves. He sent Jack home out of pure selfishness. Working with Rose that day had been ... fun. If he admitted it. So much fun that he didn't want it to end. She pushed him in good ways, had a great attitude and was beautiful to boot. Something deep inside reminded him of his early years with Reinette, before all hell broke loose. But, no matter how fierce and sexy he was when he was with Reinette, there was always a lurking adversarial tone. They fought for the best grades, for the best assignments, and later it was over cases. They even argued over who would drive. With Rose it was different in that he felt comfortable, all the time. He wasn't trying to best anyone, and neither was she. She also had a way of calming him. When he was warring between ideas, she simply would interject something simple. And that would be all it would take. He could decide so easily for there. It was like magic, and he had no good explanation for it. It just was good. 

But if he really analyzed it, like he did when she took a loo break, there was so much that would keep this... whatever it was... from ever being something. She was much too young for him, just starting out. She had friends of her own and a life that young people have, full of pubs and parties. That was nothing like the life he led. His was full of court dates and business lunches, then going home to work, just in a different setting. On top of it all was her face, not the face that smiled up at him when she had an idea, the face he remembered from the car. The face of disgust. She wasn't interested. He just had to convince his heart to stop wondering. 

Just as Rose returned, the Doctor's mobile rang. It was a fellow lawyer. He was working against the Doctor on a case, but they had been longtime friends, or at least acquaintances. He answered the call, standing back from Rose, who sat again at the table. 

Soon he found himself yelling into the phone. The opposing side had a stupid request, one that he thought was, well stupid. Then there was an argument. The Doctor walked to the window and looked out while he argued with the other man. It was getting heated, before the Doctor won and the other man rang off. He took a breath and turned back to Rose, who was eyeing him curiously. 

"What?" he demanded, more forcefully than he had intended.

Rose didn't flinch though. "You are two people." she answered simply.

"Huh?"

"You have two people in you. It's almost like you have two hearts. One that is made for fighting, and one that is more intuitive and sensitive."

"I'm not sensitive," he grumbled. 

"So, getting cookies for your coworker isn't sensitive?"

"No, cookies are good, that's it."

"MmmHmmm," she hummed, idly flipping a piece of paper in front of her. 

The Doctor looked at her from across the room, dumfounded. He was completely at a loss for words. She had him. She had figured him out. She had, in 5 days, made greater strides in knowing him than some people had for his whole life. Somehow, she had pierced through his carefully made facade and gotten right to the point. And there was nothing he could do about it. He was hooked. 

OoOoOo

Hours and more takeout later, they finished. Rose looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh no, I'm sorry, but I have to go. The last bus runs at 10:00 and I have 10 minutes to make it. "

"I’ll take you home, don't worry."

"Oh no, you don’t have to do that," she answered, hastily getting herself together.  
"It's no problem, what you think? That I'll try to sniff you again?" He looked slyly at her. 

Rose laughed out loud, and the Doctor internally relaxed tremendously at the fact that she was currently OK with the previous situation. 

Rose caught her breath. "No, it's just far and out of your way."

"But I have kept you here."

"It's my job."

The Doctor stopped, why was she arguing? Then it came to him. "Why do you not want me to know where you live?" He had been enjoying the back and forth of it, but now his face softened. 

Rose didn't answer. She looked at him blankly. 

He decided to take the offensive. "Rose, do you think that I don't know where you live? We fully vetted you from the beginning. We even talked about it earlier. So, I know. You don't have to be embarrassed. Everyone comes from somewhere."

Rose stiffened. "I'm not embarrassed. My Mum worked hard to give me what she could. But..." she tapered off. 

"But you're still not happy with me seeing it. I get it. And I don't care. Good people come from everywhere."

Rose looked down. She knew he wasn't going to give up, also that the window had passed for her to catch the bus. It would be hard to find a cab now too. "Fine, you can take me, just be careful. That shiny car of yours may draw a few looks."

"Oh, Rose, I can take care of myself." He grinned back.

OooOoo

The atmosphere in the car was much different the second time around. He went out of his way to be sure she was comfortable. He also kept a healthy distance. But it was respectful. The Doctor noticed though, that Rose got quieter the closer that they got to her home. He saw also that she looked around much more, vigilant.

"Is there something wrong, Rose?"

She turned back to him. "No… well yes. There is a new guy hanging around. He's causing trouble. I'm not entirely sure what he is into, but I think he's selling drugs. But I don't know for sure. He’s up to something though."

"Have you talked to the police about it?"

"Yes, but they have to catch him first." She purposely left out the threatening episode. 

Rose directed him to the closest entrance to her estate. She quickly popped open the door and stepped out. "Thank you, Mr. Smith. I'll see you what, on Wednesday? After your trip?"

He sighed internally. "Geez won't you call me Doctor?" He shook his head. "Anyway yes, I'll be back in town then. We will be doing some prep work for a case all Wednesday, and I would like you to accompany me to court on Thursday. It’ll give you perspective and you can assist me."

Rose grinned brightly. "Absolutely! Thanks... Doctor! I'd love to!" With that she waved goodbye and jogged to the stairs. He watched her go. She seemed to hesitate a little before opening the door to the stairwell, but after holding the door open for a second went inside. He eventually saw her emerge from the staircase and head to one of the flats. His heart was singing though. The grin she gave him shot right to the heart. It was the most gorgeous thing he had ever witnessed. Every cell in his body was alight. The next thought he had was how he could get it to happen again. He was instantly addicted, and he needed it. Rose Tyler, he wondered as he drove off, was it possible? Could she ever even consider an old grumpy man like him? He certainly hoped there was a chance. 

OoOoOo

When Rose got inside her flat and put her bag down, Jackie was on her in a flash. "A little late aren't we?" she asked accusatorily. 

"Oh mum," whined Rose, "Don’t be difficult. We had to work late because he had a lot to do and is going out of town. There's nothing to worry about."

"You're working for a high priced, slick lawyer who you told me yourself was a monster. And you are there after hours, of course I'm going to worry."

"Don’t, Mum. He's very good at what he does. I even get to go see him in court next week. But I'm not his type. He goes for high maintenance women, also women with power, like his ex. He... he isn't interested in me." She remembered his face in the car when he realized what he was doing. It still stung. "But he's nice though. I mean when he isn't being a lawyer. He's respectful and he seems to tolerate me OK. So, I think we’ll do fine."

"That was quite a change of heart after your problems on Wednesday," Her mother pointed out. 

Rose rolled her eyes. She had forgotten she had filled her mother in on all that. "He explained himself and apologized. I believe him. It’s OK now. But don’t worry, I'll be careful. I'll just do my job and move on like I’m supposed to. Mr. John Smith will be a thing of the past before long and I'll have a bunch of good experience and hopefully good reviews. From what I hear, I'll be very hirable. I can live through anything if that is the case."

"Well I don't trust him." Jackie said, the finality in her voice ending the conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of you for hanging with me, especially since I goofed up the chapters. I'm good now, but that was embarrassing. Today things are moving forward, and we get a little more complications. But there are still a whole lot on the horizon. I hope you like it. I may post again tomorrow or this week, I have another busy weekend next week and I'd hate for you all to think was neglecting you. I am enjoying your comments too. You guys make me laugh!

Rose's weekend was very relaxing, she caught up on sleep, met Mickey and friends at a pub and generally took care of herself. The only thing that was relatively troubling was that her thoughts kept drifting back to the Doctor. This didn't feel like a crush though. It was more along the lines of admiration. At first, she had dreaded working with him. So much so that she started to breathe faster and have her heart pound in her ears when it was time to be near him. But almost immediately after they talked she calmed. It was easy to see his focus and determination when preparing for a case. She was also impressed with his attention to detail and willingness to get his hands dirty, so to speak. But overall, he was easy to work with. She realized quickly that they thought in much the same ways. They both were logical and could not only see problems, but also saw means to rectify those problems. At times it was even fun working belong side him. His humor was dry and subtle, at least at first. But as the day wore on, he actually made a few puns and she felt strongly that they were to get her attention. He had gotten it for sure. 

In the end though, Rose saw that this wasn't anything she should even remotely think about pursuing. He was him and she was her. Two people that normally wouldn’t have ever crossed paths. He wanted "Hollywood" women anyway, if his history said anything. Rose wasn’t sophisticated not highly educated, and had no social standing. That was so far from when he was, it was almost comical. It was a wonder he even spoke to her at all. She may be fun to talk to for now, but ultimately he wouldn't want to put in the time or effort to be with a young upstart from the estates. 

OoOoOo

Monday morning early, the Doctor went to his office to collect a few things for his trip. He looked at Rose's empty desk, wishing she was there to say hi. He stood there for a few moments just thinking. When he had left her at home, he actually started to miss her. It was rare to find a working relationship with someone who understood him that well. It's not as though he had told her about himself, but it was as if she just knew. They thought a lot the same. It was refreshing to problem solve with someone who went about things the same way he did. Over the course of the day, they frequently came to conclusions together. Sometimes at the same time, blurting them out in unison. The thought made the Doctor smile. 

In a few short months though, Rose Tyler would be on her way. Of course, he would give her a magnificent recommendation but then she would be free. 

This internship would be over before he knew it even if he was able to hold onto her. Whoever ultimately got her would be lucky. He wished it could be him. If she would be willing, he would hire her in a heartbeat. But people like Rose tended not to stay in his life. He was hard to be with, as evidenced by the long list of ex-girlfriends following his divorce. But something about Rose made it easier. She wasn't his conventional choice for a paralegal or a friend. Normally the women his life were high society, and there were parties and gatherings and all that comes with it. Even when he hired Jack, that was what he got. Jack loved to party and loved the finer things in life. He was always dressed to the nines. But somehow, he and the Doctor got on like brothers. Oh boy could they fight, but generally they did very well. 

But with Rose it was different. He could see working long hours with her but not quibbling over things. And if the stars aligned and he actually got to be with her, he pictured nights by the fire, cozy dinners at the table, friends and family at Christmas. It was dramatically different than his usual, but it was comforting. 

By the same token, it was a dream. She was too pure for him, pure and perfect. A shooting star that came into his life and would leave just as fast. 

With a sigh he gathered his things, but before he left he wrote a note.  
OoOoOo

Rose got to work on time as usual, followed quickly by Jack. Amy arrived just after. They all chatted for few minutes before settling in and getting started. Rose had a list of phone calls to make from Jack. There where quite a few of them, and with having to leave messages and wait for calls back, she knew she would need to get started on them early. As she went to sit though, she saw a piece of paper on her chair. She grabbed it and carefully opened it while sitting, turning away from Jack. 

It was from the Doctor. "Rose, thank you for your hard work on Friday. We finished everything we needed to. I'll be back Wednesday, and we will need to do something similar to be prepared for Thursday- Best, Doctor." Rose smiled to herself. That was really nice of him. And he put it on her chair so that it wouldn't be obvious. That even made it better, and less likely for Jack to give her a hard time about it. She tucked the note in her bag before Jack could catch on and started her calls with a huge smile that she wouldn’t explain no matter how much Jack asked.   
OoOoOo  
All three of them settled into the day's work and were going about their tasks when there was a commotion outside the office door. Rose looked up to see a very well dressed woman totter in on sky high heels. She looked around the room, eyes finally landing n Jack. "Where is my ex-husband?" she asked, pointing a well-manicured finger at Jack. 

Jack groaned ever so quietly. "Well Reinette, he is out of town until Wednesday. You could have called him."

“He didn't answer my calls," she answered, scrunching up her face like she had eaten something sour. Then her eyes landed on Rose. 

"Well hello there, you must be the new... intern. He hasn't scared you off yet huh?"

Rose's eye flitted to Jack, not knowing what to say.

Mercifully, Jack answered. "Yes, this is Rose, she s out new intern, and from what I hear, she does quite well with the Doctor."

"I'm sure," Reinette drawled, eyes slowing making their way up and down Rose's body. 

Rose squirmed under the weight of the obvious judgement. It made here uncomfortable to be looked at like that, but knew somehow, deep down, that she shouldn't say anything. A quick warning glance from Jack solidified that notion.

Reinette turned on her heel. "Well tell John I need to speak with him." She stopped in her tracks and looked back, specifically at Rose. "Nice to meet you... Rose..." I'm sure you'll do well up until he decides you won't. Then there will be a new Rose." And with that, she sashayed out. 

When she was totally gone, Rose growled. "I just met her and hate her already.”

Jack chuckled. "You just met the only person who has ever bested the Doctor, Hurricane Reinette."

"Is that true what she said about him replacing people like that?"

"Well, as you know, we've had more than our share of interns not finish the internship. The Doctor has had to fire a few, and some just up and quit.”

"You know that does not help at all. "

Jack smiled kindly at Rose. "We have had at least 3 interns be fired or quit within the first week in the past."

"Four!" came Amy's voice from across the office. 

They both laughed at her. It was easy to forget that she was there sometimes, since she wasn’t able to contribute much. And just like that, she answered another call. 

Rose turned back to Jack. "So what did they do?"

"Um, let me see," he pondered, "there was the one who thought he knew everything, top of his class, bright future, but the mouth on that kid! He never stopped talking enough to listen. He got a few things wrong right off the bat but wouldn't admit to them. The Doctor tore him apart and the guy just bolted."

"I can see why he failed." Rose ventured. 

"Oh yeah, then there was the crier. She cried at everything. I would tell her something and she cried, The Doctor greeted her, and she burst into tears. You can imagine what would happen when the Doctor’s temper flared. Yeah, she was out before lunch on day two. She had done well in school, but was just not cut out for this. The funny part was that the Doctor wasn’t even mad at her, he was yelling at me."

"Ok, another thing to check off the list... being emotional."

“And then there was Little Miss Perfect. She looked amazing on paper, she looked so good that even before we met her she looked like an exact fit. Then we met her."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she came in here like she was ready to take over the whole operation. But after a few days I realized that that was her intention. She was saying things to the Doctor about me, which he knew were not true. She told me and him that Rhiannon at the front desk said things she didn't, and then blatantly asked for my job. Mind you it had only been, like two days. The Doctor all but threw her out. No one needs a busy body."

"No busy bodies... check." Rose made a check in the air and Jack laughed. 

"Amy, " Jack called across the office, "who am I missing?" 

Amy was on the line but fluffed her hair and adjusted her bra. Jack barked out a laugh. "Oh yeah, the floozy. That was a funny one. She came in with the sole purpose of getting into the Doctor's pants, I'm sure. Or maybe anyone's pants. She came very highly recommended from her school and I know why. When she sat on the Doctor’s desk and pulled him to her by his tie, it was over in a flash. He had her out the door so fast she left her phone behind. When I called the school to tell them, they said that the guy that all but sent her to us had been fired for cavorting with a student. "

"Ew."

"I know. she was over the top, even for me. "

"Ok, so we have: no loud mouths, no crying, no pushiness, and no floozy...ness. I think that is a pretty good list of don'ts. I will try my hardest to avoid all those areas."

"You already have." Jack smirked. "We haven't had that many interns here Rose, and I can count on one hand those who have survived. All of them had a special quality, something that the Doctor saw in them that made them succeed. I don't know what it is, but I think you may have it. He seems to care for you. I get that from him. Especially when he called me last night to go over what we needed to do when he was gone. He had specific tasks for you, ones that weren't horrible. Sometimes he likes to play a little with the interns to see what they've got."

"Oh, he did that with the shredding and the phone logs," Rose reminded him.

"Oh yeah, but you blew those out of the water. It makes sense now. You must have impressed him."

Rose nodded. "Last week was a rough week, but I'm glad we got past it. Contrary to popular belief, I like working with him. He takes his time to explain things. It's nice."

"Oh yeah, he must like you. I have never heard that out of an intern. " Jack winked at her.

"He tolerates me, maybe, but don't worry, He doesn’t like me like me. We work well together. That's it. Plus, that's not what I'm here for. I have a job to do. I need to finish so I can move on."

"That's your plan?" Jack asked. 

"Yes, it is. I'll think about my romantic future after I have a job. It's nice that he doesn't like me like that, it makes it easier." The last part was a lie and Rose knew it. The Doctor was very attractive to her and working with him had been a dream. But there was no way she would ever use it to her advantage. But after, when the internship was over, it wouldn't be horrible if he had a place for her in his life. But there wasn't a chance for that, she wasn't his type. 

"K," said Jack simply and turned back to his work, leaving Rose more than a little confused. 

OoOoOo

When Rose came in on Wednesday morning, the Doctor was already in his office. She put her things down and was contemplating going in and saying hello when he came out instead. He looked at her, his stare intense. "Come in Rose, we have a ton of work to do. Jack will join us in an hour or so." 

From the first second she saw him, she could tell he was different from what he a was a few days ago. It was like he had an edge again, much like when they met the day he splashed her with the puddle. He held his face tight and didn’t meet her eyes. His speech was short too, devoid of emotion. 

It was no matter though, Rose was ready to work. The emotional state of her boss wasn’t going to bother her. It couldn’t, not in this job. No matter the situation, she was with the best barrister in England. She would simply have to deal with it. It’s not like this was new. She knew he could be cranky, she was more than adequately warned. 

The truth was, the Doctor had had a few bad days in a row. But maybe they weren't bad days. He didn't know. The fact remained that he had spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about Rose. There was something about her, something he couldn't put his finger on. Something that made her stick in his mind. Because of that he found himself unfocused and had difficulty getting things done with his clients. It was frustrating beyond measure, but he just couldn’t turn his thoughts around. 

In a quiet moment on the plane, he had thought back to all the other interns. There had never been one like her before. So few were even slightly worthy, and even fewer made it to the end of their time. 

But then there was Rose. She had a quality that few had. She had a tremendous work ethic, but on top of that, motivated him going too. And she wasn't afraid of him. Most interns as least started with a fear, and some never got over it. That may have been why so few finished. Of course, he had the ones that washed out the first week, but that was usually for very good reasons. 

No, Rose had a fearlessness to her that he saw in few people. It was like she would stand in the face of a monster when others would run and hide. He knew she wasn't terribly fond of him, especially after what he had pulled, but one thing she was not was scared. That was a quality he didn't want to let go, in other words he never wanted her to go. He needed her, if for nothing else, to be in his practice. People of Rose's character didn't come his way often. And he knew automatically that he needed to keep her. The practical side of him said that she would be great for the practice, but the other side, the other heart as Rose pointed out, needed her to be close for selfish reasons. 

The Doctor directed Rose to the table and sat next to her, this time trying not to be obvious that he was again, taking in the sweet fragrance that surrounded her. "OK, let’s get down to business," he started, reveling in the bright eyes and smile he was offered from Rose. He knew he had come off as brusque when he called her in. Just then he decided it wasn’t worth it. She had him. 

OoOo  
Hours later, the Doctor and Rose were embroiled in a silly debate over which were better, gel pens or regular ball point. It had evolved into both of them insulting each other’s writing utensils and then dissolving into laughter. “Gel pens are messy!” he protested.

“But they are so smooth! Regular ball points can scratch at the paper,” she countered.

“Not when you use quality ones like I use. If you use the ones given to you at the dentist you’re going to be disappointed.” They both laughed at that. 

Just then, Jack came in, arms full of what Rose assumed was lunch. "Did I hear laughter?" he asked setting the bags down. "I never hear that from in here. I figured maybe I was in the wrong place."

"No, The Doctor was just trying to convince me that conventional ball point pens were better than gel pens. I was just convincing him otherwise."

Beside her the Doctor shook his head. "Never gonna happen. Gel pens are too gloppy. I don't like the smudges." Soon the debate began anew. 

That was until Jack dropped a wrapped sandwich and a huge cookie in front of her. She had heard the Doctor begin to order earlier, but he had stepped out of the office to finish the order. She knew why just as Jack set it in front of her. She looked at the Doctor. "What are you trying to do to me and my girlish figure? These cookies are huge!"

The Doctor was already biting into his. "These cookies are good for the soul, " he said around his bite. 

"You know, " Jack started, "it's always been a mating ritual to bring flowers or candy to someone you liked. Maybe-" he stopped suddenly under the two murderous looks from the other two people in the room. He cleared his throat. "anyway, how far have you two gotten?" 

Thankfully for Rose and the Doctor, the attention was focused back on the task at hand. Or at least outwardly. Two of the three of them were still processing what Jack had just said. 

OoOoOo

The evening went late again, and the Doctor found himself driving Rose home again. This time though, he was more nervous. Jack was an ass for insinuating something. At least he could have waited until Rose wasn't in the room to mention something. The Doctor hadn't even noticed he was doing it. He just wanted her to have nice things. Cookies were nice, weren't they? It just felt good to get her things like that. But now that Jack opened his big mouth, she knew. 

"Uh, Rose, he started as he pulled over and parked as close as he could get to her flat. 

"Yes?" She was reaching for the door handle

"Jack's a bastard. I'm sorry if he made you uncomfortable. I didn't..."he trailed off, not sure that he knew how to finish. 

"Don't worry, I understand. You like cookies. They weren't anything. You don't have to think that I thought the wrong thing. I know your type, and I'm not it. I'm cool with that." She gave him a bright smile and climbed out of the car just as his heart sunk to his feet.

"Thanks again for the ride!" she called as she shut the door. Then she smiled again and waved at him before she jogged to the stairs. 

He waved back, waited until she was on her floor and then put his car in gear. Well, now he knew. She thought she wasn't his type, but oh she was. But how to tell her without sounding like an old crusty pervert?

Then again, she said something else, she was 'cool' with her not being his type. That, somehow was the most unsettling thing. It was possible that even if he did ever get the courage to explain himself, she still wouldn't want him. 

OoOoOo

When Rose got out of the car and went to the stairs, she took a deep breath. Jack had made her uncomfortable for sure. It was a little awkward after that. He couldn't like her, could he? Not someone as accomplished as the Doctor would bother with an intern. But he did seem to be going out of his way to be nice. And the cookies were a treat. It only left her more confused.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you I'd be back this week. Mostly because work and life may keep me from updating this weekend. I hope you like the building of their relationship. But be warned, when this one twists, it's wicked. It's just not right now. So enjoy a little dancing around, the angst is on it's way though.

The next day Jack drove Rose to the court house. The plan was for Jack to help the Doctor with a pre-trial hearing and for Rose to watch. Then maybe next time she could be the one helping. Rose sat nervously in the seats behind the Doctor and Jack. She hadn’t talked much to the Doctor that day, and when she had it had been about the case. She had learned a lot about what his job was this time around. He was defending a very rich client in a money laundering case. To Rose it looked like the man was at least partially guilty, but the Doctor saw different. He explained to Rose at length about what charges were against the man and his interpretation of them. In the end she was convinced. She was also convinced that the Doctor was very good at what he did. 

The car ride over to the courthouse was the perfect opportunity for Rose to get some very interesting information out of Jack, mostly what was his take what the Doctor thought about her. Maybe he could provide some insight. But she didn't know where to start. The very last thing she wanted to sound like was a girl who wanted something out of her boss. That simply wouldn't do. But then again it seemed like there was something there. But instead of getting up the courage to ask, she was treated to various tales for Jack and his new boyfriend, the security guard, Ianto. Rose had remembered the kind man who helped her on her first day. They seemed like a good match. 

But true to form, Jack had ulterior motives. "Hey Rose, how about going out with us on Friday? Ianto and Rhiannon will be coming, along with Rhiannon’s husband."

She shook her head. "No, I'd just be a third wheel. Thanks though."

Jack beamed. "Well, I was thinking that I should ask the Doctor to join us He has sometimes gone in the past. "

"I’m not sure he'll be too keen on repeating his last time out with you."

"That was just for the occasion. That’s not normal for him. This time we're going for trivia and he's good at it. We like to have him on our team."

"He actually likes that sort of thing?"

"Yeah, especially if there is someone there to-" Jack was, at that moment, cut off in traffic and laid on the horn. Followed promptly by them getting to their destination and parking. Jack’s answer to her question was lost in the moment.

OoOoOo

In the courtroom, Rose sat in the seats directly behind the Doctor and Jack. The Doctor greeted her, but formally. "Rose, I'm glad you could be here. Take this," he handed her a notepad and a pen. "I want you to note everything Jack does for me. We'll see what you catch. Then we can train you to do what he does."

"Ok,” she answered, searching his face for anything beyond the words of instruction. There was nothing there. His face was a mask of professionalism, though Jack smirked at her from behind. The hearing did not take long, there were just a few things to cover but Rose took precise notes. That was, whenever her eyes weren't glued to the Doctor. He was truly in his element in the court. He played off everyone in the room, he was firm, very firm, but smart. The other barrister was, in Rose’s opinion, a bit of a snake. He looked to be taking a sneaky approach to the trial. But, the Doctor was having none of that he skillfully turned around everything the other man tried against him. All the while, Rose sat there enthralled. The Doctor was a master at his craft. All to soon it was over. 

Rose took a minute to scribble a few more notes, but didn't have as many at the end as she would have wanted. The judge had given the Doctor all he had asked for, and the other barrister just got snarkier by the minute. She as impressed though, on how the Doctor never once lost his cool. Yes, he fought back, argued and tangled with the man at every turn, but never once lost his temper. The same could not be said for his opponent. 

After the hearing concluded, Rose helped gather the things that they had brought, papers and such, with Jack as the Doctor went to speak with some colleges. 

"So, what did you think?" Jack asked.

"He's amazing." Rose answered, a little more dreamily than she intended. 

"I know, but what did you think about how he did?" Jack gave her a knowing smile. 

"Oh, stop that Jack, you know I was referring to how he was. He’s a wonder. It's like he was born to do this. In just this little hearing, he had everyone on the edge of their seats. It's impressive," she gushed.

"Impressive?" came the Doctor's voice from behind her. Rose stiffened at being caught praising him. 

She turned around slowly to face the grinning Doctor. It was the first grin she had seen out of him all day.

"Of course I'm impressive. I'm always impressive. And you haven't seen anything yet Rose Tyler. That was just my pregame."

Rose couldn't help herself. "Oh, I'd like to see what you really have," she countered, seeing an instant tinge of red appear on the Doctor's face.

They looked down at their feet simultaneously, both embarrassed beyond measure and neither willing to admit it. 

"Well if you two are quite done, we need to get back and prepare more. This trial starts on Monday, if anyone cares." Jack was suddenly beside them. He wore an expression of someone's little brother who had just discovered a juicy entry his big sister's diary.

Rose and the Doctor parted without a word and Rose and Jack went to his car. 

Jack drove in silence for a while before saying, "You know that he likes you, right?"

Rose shook her head. "Jack, he may like me, tolerate me and think that I do well at my job, but that's it. I am so incredibly out of his league it's almost funny. "

"Ok first off, you're not out of his league. You're very smart, know what you're talking about, you aren’t afraid of him, you’re quick witted and on top of that, beautiful. You are most definitely squarely in his league."

"I beg to differ."

"Come out with us on Friday and we'll find out."

Rose looked down, then out the window her eyes landing anywhere but Jack's face. He could tell that she was considering it, finally she answered. "You know, I think I'll pass. I don't want to make working here weird."

"It won't be, it’ll be fun. Is this because of what happened last week?"

Rose didn't answer right away, but Jack could see her working her jaw. After a moment she spoke, "Whatever I answer will be make you think what you want to. So, I can't really answer, can I?"

Jack smiled. "No, not really, but I think it is. C'mon Rose. Honestly, that was an anomaly. I did that to him. You've worked with him now, you see how much control he has over everything. Yes, he's been out with me before, but he manages himself. He doesn't like to lose control. He was mortified about what happened. It'll be just a meeting between friends, no pressure. I'll even see if Amy and her boyfriend Rory can go. C'mon please?" He gave her a cheesy grin and winked at her. 

They had just made it back to the office and Jack parked, turned and stared at her.

Rose was torn. The Doctor was her boss. Whether she liked him or not, he would stay that. She has worked too hard to screw it up with a relationship. "Ok, on one condition."

"Shoot."

"I'm not going to be with him, not anything like that. I'm going to be with friends. That's it. Please don't try to make this anything else. That's not how I operate, plus I'm not looking for anyone right now. I'm focused on completing this internship, that's it. If I have a night out with my coworkers, that's exactly what it will be. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Jack responded and hopped out of the car, joining the Doctor, who had also just pulled in. He looked back at Rose and she shot him a warning look, to which he winked again and caught up with the Doctor. 

 

OoOoOo

Later that same day, the Doctor was sitting at his desk, typing at his computer. He had earbuds in and was deep in thought, oblivious to Jack's entrance. A tap on his shoulder caused him to jump back into his friend. 

"Oi, I was concentrating! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" the Doctor bellowed at Jack.

"No,” Jack chuckled, “what are you listening to?" He grabbed the earbuds away and put one up to his ear. "You're listening to talk radio while typing? How do you do that?"

The Doctor snatched the earbud back. "I'm, a genius that's how. One part of my brain is doing one thing, and one part is doing another. It's simple. But, you wouldn’t understand, being sharp as a balloon yourself.” He gave Jack a goofy grin, one that only a few others had never seen. “Anyway, what do you want?"

Jack sat on the corner of the desk. "Tonight, trivia at the pub."

"No."

"Our team needs you."

"No."

"Everyone will be there."

"No."

"Even Rose."

"..."

"Gotcha!"

The Doctor sat back in his chair and rubbed his face. "I don't think so."

"A chink in the armor," said Jack, moving to a chair in front of the desk. 

The Doctor motioned for him to close the door. Jack jumped up and did it. 

The Doctor waited for Jack to sit again before he continued. "Jack, I'm not sure this is a good idea. I know we don't have rules against it, but Rose is different. She's amazing, smart and all that, but I just can't shake the feeling that it's not a good idea."

"You don't think it's a good idea because for the first time in your life you're not liking someone who fights with you."

"Ugh she does, just not like I’m used to. She challenges me. I really like it. I need it. But she's so young, and I'm old. I don't need the rejection. I also don't want to look like a creepy old guy salivating after his staff."

"Ok, that's never been how you are. You have never been creepy, even in the slightest. Passionate yes, creepy no. And we're just all going as friends. We're playing trivia, what have you got to lose?"

"She thinks she's not my type."

"You leave all that stuff up to me."

"No way. You stay out of it."

"I'm your best friend, I'm already in it. You still owe me anyway. You know, because the trauma you caused when I saw you and Reinette, you know, sex on the desk..."

"That was years ago. A lot has changed,” the Doctor growled. “You know how she and I used to get when we were working together and something clicked. It was almost orgasmic.” 

He rose and walked to the window, putting his hand on the glass. He turned back to Jack. “But you know what? Here and there I get those feelings when working with Rose. I mean, shit, not like you think. She's so quick and thinks like me. It's...when we get going…I don’t know... fantastic."

“I get the fantastic part, but I’ve seen you work with Reinette before, it’s very different from how you work with Rose. With Reinette, it was always like a competition for the best idea. It used to stress me out. Of course, when you guys would grab onto something it was really cool, but it was like a dumpster fire getting there.”

“I know. But Rose comes up with ideas alongside me. She pushes me in the right direction. I love it how she sees the whole picture. There’s something there that makes her special, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Jack smirked. “But I’d bet you’d like to put a finger on it.”

The Doctor turned to him. “God you’re an asshole. You have to always go there. Can’t I just enjoy working with someone and maybe enjoy her company and not have you turn it into a porno?”

"Fine, but even if you can’t, I can see where this is headed. Let me just say this, for the sake of my sanity, I can't see you in that position on the desk again. I'm traumatized enough."

"I said things have changed, you fuck. I've grown up. That'll never happen again. It was a moment of weakness, and Rose has too much decorum to let something like that happen. That being said, if you ever bring it up again, I will not hesitate to castrate you."

"I'll meet you at Smiley’s pub at 7:00," said Jack, jumping to his feet. 

The Doctor just grumbled, waved him away and looked back out the window.

OoOo

That evening, Rose caught a ride with Jack to the pub. They were joined at the table by Amy and Rory and Rhiannon and her husband, as well as Ianto. They took up two tables together and Rose noticed as they all arranged themselves in their seats that the empty chair was next to her. Jack ordered beers for everyone, including the Doctor, who was still absent. Minutes later the trivia contest began. The first question came out and Jack got the answer right away. Their team all cheered, standing up and giving high fives. When Rose sat down she bumped into something, or someone, rather. She turned around to find that the Doctor smiling at her. He had slid into the seat next to her when she was celebrating. He still wore his leather jacket but had changed from the dress shirt he was wearing earlier into a soft blue jumper. 

Rose couldn't help herself and glanced down, he was also wearing black jeans. Despite the change from formal to casual, as she had never seen him, he looked great. He gave Rose a shy smile. "Sorry I'm late, I had to run home." 

Rose answered a little breathlessly, "I’m glad you're here," nervously taking a sip of her beer. 

Then they both eyed his, sitting as yet untouched in front of him. Rose couldn't help herself and be a little nervous since what had transpired last week. He took the beer and drank a sip off the top, setting it back down and settling in his seat. 

By then Jack had noticed him and brought him into the game with them. 

At first Rose was hesitant to answer questions, but soon found herself swept up in the game. The funny thing was that the Doctor joined in too. Somehow Rose had thought that maybe he wouldn't get involved, but that wasn't the case. He joined right in, getting two questions right immediately. He also got excited with the group and cheered just as they did. 

Rose's anxiety about the evening left quickly after that. Being next to the Doctor was fun and she was seeing yet another side of him. She had seen him be humorous, but this was even different than that. This was him being fun. 

She even felt better after the Doctor switched to soda after his beer. Jack ordered food too and they all ate. It was the most fun Rose remembered having in months. Jack and Ianto were cute too. Their relationship was growing, and she could tell that they were happy. As if to demonstrate that, Jack made a show of wiping Ianto’s face of errant nacho cheese. 

The Doctor seemed much calmer than he ever had been around her. He even pretended to fight her for the last hot wing. He didn’t talk much, and even though he was the boss, he wasn’t the center of attention. He left that to Jack. But he laughed along with the jokes and delivered high fives and applause when they got something right. 

The trivia was going well too. Their team was killing the competition. After the Doctor answered correctly a very obscure history question Jack beamed, "God Doctor, it's like you are 900 years old or something. How could you possibly know all that stuff?"

The Doctor chuckled. "I listened in class," was all he said, sipping his soda. 

As the competition heated up, one thing became very clear. The Doctor and Rose were on fire. She would get a question right about pop culture, and then he would about literature, then she got one on sports, and he on science. Then together they got a history one right. 

They happily bantered back and forth, laughing and joking until the last question. It was on the Roman empire and everyone in the room fell silent. The Doctor wrote his answer, erased it, and leaned over and whispered to Rose, who giggled and nodded. Everyone at the table was staring at them. The Doctor then wrote again, and when it came time, held up his answer. 

He got it right. They won. 

Everyone at the table jumped up and celebrated, doing high fives and hugging. Before he knew what was happening, Rose had wrapped her arms around the Doctor in a celebratory hug. And he found himself hugging back. Things got very quiet as everyone’s eyes fell on them. 

Rose and the Doctor broke apart guiltily. Both adjusting clothes and jackets nervously, both sitting down rapidly. 

Jack caught the Doctor's gaze and smiled hugely, the Doctor surreptitiously flipped him off. Rose was still facing to the other end of the table, now nervously chewing on her thumbnail.

The prize for the night was another round of drinks, but the Doctor again went for a soda and to his surprise, so did Rose. 

He gave her a questioning look and she sheepishly replied. "I have to ride the bus home after this, not the greatest time to be pissed."

The Doctor leaned in so she could hear him without him having to raise his voice. "I intended on giving you a ride home."

"You don't have to, really. I'm fine on the bus."

"I want to. There is no reason for you to take the bus. I'm sober, and I don't mind."

"Fine," she acquiesced. 

"Plus, I still owe you about 8 more rides considering my behavior the time you took me home."

"Water under the bridge, Doctor," she answered.

"But I still feel bad, so I won't take no for an answer."

"Fine," she gave him a smile, knowing full well that that matter was closed.   
OoOoOo

After the last round was finished, all the friends said goodbye. Jack and Ianto left in a cab together and everyone else went to their cars.

Once Rose had settled in the Doctor said, "We were quite a team there. I'm not sure we needed the rest of them. You know quite a lot of stuff."

"And so do you. We would have never won if it weren't for you."

"Or you, Rose," he countered quietly.

The remainder if the ride was spent recounting some of the harder questions and both of them explaining how they knew the answers. The Doctor's were mostly due to school and his incredible ability to retain information. He smiled though, as he found out how Rose picked things up. Some things she had gotten in school, while others came from reading or watching the telly or in movies. The two of them had very different backgrounds and came to information very differently, but she was smart, and knew how to use it. 

As the Doctor steered his car around the corner near her building, they were met with a barrage of bright emergency lights. There were at least ten police cars and multiple ambulances. He parked as fast as he could, and barely caught up to Rose as she hopped out. 

Rose went up to a blonde woman standing in the crowd. "Mum what happened?"

The woman turned. "Rose, thank God you're OK. There have been more overdoses I think. Oh look!" She pointed to two separate crews wheeling gurneys towards the ambulances. Each gurney held a patient. Both crews were using a bag device to breathe for their patients. One of the patients looked to be having a seizure. 

The Doctor walked up behind Rose and put his hand on her shoulder. When she turned to him, her mother turned too. 

Before the Doctor or Rose could say anything, Jackie spoke," Who are you then? Are you the man Rose works for? The one who keeps her out late?" she demanded.

The Doctor was a little taken aback. "Uh, " he sputtered," Yes, I'm John smith, Rose is doing her internship at my firm." 

Rose couldn’t believe her eyes. The man who did not back down for anyone just got flummoxed by a hair dresser from the estates. 

Jackie took a long look at him. "Well you better be nice to my Rose, she's all I have. I can't have some older man mistreating her." 

The Doctor recovered somewhat. "I promise, Ms. Tyler, to treat her with the utmost respect." He bowed a little towards Jackie, who scoffed.

"Mum..." Rose started.

Jackie turned to her daughter. "I'm just looking out for my little girl."

Jackie turned back to the action then, openly gossiping with someone next to her. The Doctor pulled Rose away. 

"Does this happen often?" he asked.

"You mean my mum accosting people, yes."

"No, the overdoses," he said quietly.

Rose took his hand, and pulled him father away. Little did she know that that simple act made his heart soar, but is was short lived as she let go when they were alone.

"The overdoses seem to be happening more often. I knew both those people they were taking away. I want to school with the guy in the red shirt, the one having a seizure. And the other one was just a few years ahead of us in school. I don't know what it is, but something's being sold around here and everyone's trying it. This place was not like this when I was growing up. Sure, there was crime, but not like this. There is a new element now. I've seen it myself, boys who have no money and nothing to do being recruited. I can only guess it's all linked together."

"Are you safe here?" the Doctor asked, his blue eyes and kind expression, going directly to her heart.

"I am, I think so. I've had a few run-ins with one of the guys, but I think the police are looking for him. I'm staying out of it though."

"If you and your mother are in danger..."

"What?” she cut in, facing him directly, eyes burning into his. “If we're in danger what can you do? They just have to get the guy in charge of it all. But then there will be something else. I've lived here all my life, I know how to take care of myself. I can manage." She crossed her arms, still staring at him.

The Doctor, still not used to the force of the girl in front of him, did something he never thought he’d do. He reached out and set a hand on her arm. He spoke quietly, "I was just going to say that If you were in danger, I can help."

Rose looked down at his hand, which he left there, and softened. "Thank you. I get a little defensive when it come to this stuff. I worry about the people around me. Whatever is being sold around here is bad stuff. But they'll get him. The people around here are tough. We’ll be OK.”

"I hope your sake they do find him. And I know you and your neighbors will survive. I have no doubts. But just for tonight, can I walk you up to your flat? If for nothing else than my piece of mind?" 

Rose chuckled. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for the ride though. Tonight was fun. We make a good team... erm for trivia." She blushed.

The Doctor was blushing too. He retracted his hand, if for no other reason that he wasn’t sure what it was dong there anymore. She still was smiling at him though, and he quickly found her smile too bright and looked down at his feet. 

“OK, goodnight then,” she said, turning and starting for the stairs. 

"Uh, Rose?" he called after her, making her turn back to him.

"For the record, I don't have a type." With that he smiled at her, waved and turned back to his car.

Rose stood there for a moment, trying to metabolize exactly what was happening, before she too, turned for home.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are moving right along with these two. Oh, but we are far from the finish line with this one. Did you think for a second that I would like fluff go unpunished? Enjoy the cuteness while you can.   
> Next thing, this story is essentially finished. It actually is concluded, but I have a few things I may change. I don't want to let too much out, but I am in a quandary:To smut or not to smut. As you may know from my other fics, I'm not much of a smut writer, but I have gone there. What do you think? It won't be pillow melting smut, but I'm considering going there, maybe in an epilogue. Let me know what you want and I'll make an executive decision.

As per usual Rose had a quiet weekend. This time though, she thought a lot. Specifically, about the Doctor. He was an enigma. He could be so harsh, but at the same time cared deeply about things. Things like giving her rides and giving her cookies were perplexing. He hadn't come on to her at all. Well except for smelling her. Not nothing since. She laughed when she thought about their hug during the pub quiz. That was definitely a fluke. But a fun fluke. He had reached out and touched her when he dropped her off, but that was more of a caring gesture, not a loving one. 

Despite his reputation, Rose was coming to like him quite a bit. Then there was the statement that he didn’t have a type. What prompted that? Was he considering asking her out? Did he want her to ask him? All she knew was that the next few weeks could be interesting. 

Rose was fast asleep when she first heard the helicopters and sirens. She and her mother rushed to the window to see mayhem outside. Police were everywhere, helicopters circled training spot lights all over. They watched in curiosity before they saw some struggle off to their right. Someone was being dragged forward. He was fighting intensely, kicking and thrashing, but he was handcuffed. One of the spotlights passed over him and the officers. 

"They got him!" Rose exclaimed, "That's the guy that threatened me." She pointed excitedly to the blonde spikey haired man that they were currently subduing. 

"Well I'm glad that's done then." Jackie said, heading back to bed. 

Rose followed soon after, happy that that part of her life was now over. 

OoOoOo

Monday morning came early for Rose. She had to take the early bus to meet Jack at 7:00 so they could be at the court house before the proceedings to set up. He briefed Rose throughout the ride, telling her exactly what her job would be. She was surprised to find out that she would be at the table with the Doctor, Jack and the defendant, and she was more than a little nervous. 

Normally having been awoken in the middle of the night would have affected her wakefulness, but not today. Rose was cheery because the cops got the bad guy and the fact that she got to sit at the table in the court. Even the Doctor noticed. 

He had come to talk to Rose and Jack before they went in. He confirmed some things with Jack and Rose before looking directly at her. "You certainly are peppy,” he mentioned.

"Oh, I'm excited to be here. But on top of that, they got the guy that was selling the drugs last night. I saw him being hauled away. So, things are looking up!" she enthused. 

"Well I'm glad it all worked out," he answered then did something Rose absolutely did not anticipate. He reached out and laid his hand on her arm like he did a few nights before. "I'm also glad you get to be here to experience this. Soak up as much as you can." This time the touch was different. He wasn’t doing it to calm her, but what? It was if he were drawing her in. 

A second later he let go and stepped back, turning towards the defendant again. Rose put her hand over the place on her arm where he touched her. That was strange. The other night when he touched her it was to calm her. But this, this was like he was trying to draw her in. She shook her head. No, she was delusional. He was just being nice. 

Of, course Jack noticed. The next thing she knew he was leaning in to talk into her ear. "See I told you!" he whispered. Rose stealthily elbowed him in the ribs, to which he just laughed. 

OoOooo

It was lucky that Rose only had a few things to do for the Doctor in court because she was nothing less than transfixed. He was right, what she had seen the week before was just a warm up. Today he made an opening statement that was dramatic and convincing. He had the jury eating out of his hand. Rose soaked it up. He looked so much in his element. He spoke so eloquently, but added just the right amount of drama to his production. All too soon it was over for the day. The trial was supposed to go for a few days at least and Rose couldn't wait to go back and see more. There was no wonder that the Doctor had the reputation he did. If she was on the jury, she would have been convinced even before hearing any evidence. 

When they were done, Rose went about putting all their materials away. The Doctor had gone outside to speak with his defendant when Jack walked up to her. 

"Hey Rosie, can you catch a ride back to the office with the Doctor? I need to meet up with Ianto."

"Sure, but he's already gone. isn't he?"

"Nah I talked to him first. He's waiting outside. I think he's done." Jack grinned at her, but she couldn't help but think his smile was hiding something. 

"What?" she asked. 

"Oh nothing, have fun with the Doctor." Before Rose could answer, Jack turned and jogged out of the courtroom. 

Jack's behavior was odd, even for Jack. Little did Rose know that just minutes before, Jack had told the Doctor just how impressed with him she was and that he needed to take her to dinner. The Doctor had tried to beg off, but Jack insisted. 

Now the Doctor waited for Rose, more nervous than he expected. He could face the worst judges, the hardest juries, the toughest barristers, but he was completely flummoxed by this little pink and yellow girl. 

He had just finished speaking with his client when Jack had come up wearing a conniving smile. 

"Whatever your scheme, the answer is 'no'," he grumbled. 

"What makes you think I have a scheme?" Jack asked, only smiling bigger. 

"Because you look like a fool. Now out with it so I can get on with denying you."

"Aw, come on Doctor, this is a good thing. I need you to give Rose a ride back. I need to go meet Ianto."

"Ok...and..." the Doctor ventured. 

"And I watched her watch you in the courtroom. You killed it, and she was hanging on your every word. You need to take her to dinner to seal the deal."

The Doctor scoffed. "What deal? There is no deal."

"Oh yes there is, and you know it. You like her, she likes you, all that needs to happen is a little togetherness. Just take that step."

"You're a loon." 

"A loon that is about to strand Rose here if you don't take her, bye!" With that Jack was up the court steps and disappearing inside before the Doctor could protest. 

Now he had to wait, and he didn't know what to do. Should he ask her to dinner? Would she accept? At least he could ask. what was the harm in that? If she declined he could still take her home, no harm done.

He was still contemplating what to do when he saw her emerge from the building. Her arms were holding a box full of papers and she had a large bag slug over her shoulder. But yet when he saw her, all he could see was the grin she wore when their eyes met. 

At that moment his choice was made. He needed to spend as much time as possible with this girl.

The Doctor ran up the stairs to her to lighten her load. 

"Thank you," she breathed as he took the box from her, "Jack helped bring all this in, but now he's flown the coop."

"I know, I guess I'm your ride now."

"That's alright though, yeah? I mean I can take the tube back if needed."

The Doctor stood up straight and squared his shoulders. "Rose Tyler, as long as I am around, you will never ride public transit. It's beneath you."

Rose chuckled. "It's also my only way home most of the time."

"Not on my watch," he mumbled, looking away. 

"What was that?" she asked.

With a sudden wave of fearlessness, he looked back at her. "Rose, I don't want you to ride the tube, the bus or whatever when I am available. All sorts of unsavory characters ride those."

"And a lot of good people do too."

"I... I just want you to be safe," he stammered. "C'mon." He started down the steps seemingly ending the discussion.

Once his car was loaded they headed back to the office to drop off the materials and prepare for the next day. It was easy to do since they had prepared so well the week before. The Doctor was struggling though, knowing he would be able to take her home, but also knowing that he wanted to have dinner with her. His confidence was waning more by the minute. 

That was until he heard Rose on the phone. 

"Mum," he heard her say from her desk, "I'm off work soon, what's for dinner? Oh... ok, I'll just pick up something from the delicatessen. No problem. Have fun."

At that moment he knew he had a chance. He quickly got his jacket and met her at her desk. "No plans for dinner?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant and failing.

"Yeah, my Mum is going out tonight. I guess I'll either get a sandwich or see what we have for leftovers."

"No you won't," he answered firmly, causing her to look directly at him. 

"I won't?"

I'm sorry, that was a little harsh. I want to take you to dinner. It'll be celebrating your first time in court with me. It'll be casual and nice." 

He would have continued on his downward spiral, but Rose stopped him. "Ok, it's not a habit, right? I mean you don't have to take me out if you are taking me home right?"

He turned towards the lift. "Oh, I very much want to make this a habit," sprung to his mind. But "Rose, it's just dinner, if I want to treat a coworker to dinner I should be able to, right?" came out of his mouth.

"OK, but when I get rich and famous I'll treat you."

"I'll be looking forward to it." he countered. 

OoOoOo

Now with Rose Tyler in his car the Doctor had a whole new slew of problems. First off, how to pick somewhere to eat that didn't need reservations, wasn't too posh or ostentatious. He wanted to impress her, but not frighten her off. 

Finally Rose broke through his thoughts. "Where are we going? "

The Doctor answered honestly. "I actually don't know. I've been trying to decide. Most of the places that spring to mind need reservations more than a week in advance."

"Oh, those sound pretty posh. How about I choose the place?"

He glanced back a her. "Sure, I guess.”

"Ok head like you are taking me home. I know just the place."

They had nice banter on the way to Rose's destination. Rose had questions about the trial and the Doctor was only too eager to answer. The 30-minute car ride felt like 30 seconds in the end.

As he was driving, the Doctor noted that they were not in the best part of town. Of course, he knew that taking her home brought them through some not great areas, but he really didn’t see any places to stop and eat. He really began to wonder what exactly she was doing. 

"Um, Rose? Are you sure you know where you are going?"

"Of course, turn right here. You can park over there to your left."

He did as instructed, still not knowing where he was headed.

When he parked, the both got out and he looked around carefully. Before he knew,it, Rose was at his side. "C'mon, this way," she said, taking his hand and pulling towards a brick building. 

The Doctor suddenly found himself speechless. For the second time, she had taken his hand and at that very moment he realized that he never wanted her to let go. They approached what looked like a back door to a business and Rose opened it, but didn't drop his hand, she kept hold of him, guiding him along. 

The narrow hallway they initially were in opened to a brightly lit shop and the Doctor relaxed. She had just brought him in the back way. The smell hit him then, chips. She had brought him for fish and chips!

He grinned down at her just as she looked down at their joined hands and let go, looking back up to him sheepishly. "I'm sorry I grabbed you, " she said, "but it didn't look like you were going to go."

He kept his smile but resisted the urge to grab her hand again. "Don't worry, sometimes we all need to be lead. Otherwise we'd never try new things. And I don’t mind at all if you want to hold my hand from time to time."

Rose looked back up to him with a tongue touched smile and he nearly died on the spot. 

They were interrupted by the man behind the counter asking if he could help them. Before he knew it, Rose had his hand again and brought him up to the counter. This time she interlaced their fingers. The Doctor gave her a little squeeze on the hand and she bumped shoulders with him. 

They only separated when they went to go get a table and wait for the food. They sat across from each other at a table for two. Now sitting across from her, the Doctor wanted nothing more than to continue to hold her hand, but she seemed comfortable with resting her hands on the table. 

"This place is quaint," he remarked, fiddling with a napkin he picked up to give his hands something to do, "though a bit different than the dinners I'm used to."

Rose's face dropped. "Is it not OK?" I thought you might like a taste of me..."she coughed. "I mean a taste of what we normal people eat.”

The Doctor smirked. "Of course I'd like to taste... what normal people eat." The pause in the middle of his sentence nearly made Rose grab him by the lapels and snog him into the next week. 

He continued, "But I'm a normal person too. I've been known to go for fish and chips before, and *gasp* even for a burger once and a while."

Rose laughed and slapped him on the arm. But when she took it away, she left it close to his hand. 

The Doctor could feel the dance happening. It was so familiar. It was the dance of two people who didn't know where each other stood in relation to each other. It was exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. He knew he liked her, He knew that she liked him, but the chasm between them was still huge. He was older than her. She was sweet and innocent, he grizzled and grumpy. But here she was in front of him. Tonight, she had taken a step forward, if he could call it that. She had initiated touch. The effect was sudden and strong. He wanted to be with her now and never let her out of his sight. 

The Doctor was broken from his reverie when their food was set in front of them, He sniffed deeply. "This smells incredible," he enthused. 

Rose was already reaching for the malt vinegar. "These are some of the best chips in London."

"Some of the best?"

"Yeah," she answered around the chip that was presently in her mouth, "I have a few places I like. But I haven't figured out which ones I totally like best, It's just fun to keep looking I guess. Everyone needs a quest, right? I guess as silly as it sounds, this is mine."

The Doctor was silent for a moment before talking again, this time he fixed his deep blue eyes directly to her brown ones. "It's a noble quest. I'd like to go on it with you. It would be fun."

Rose stopped chewing and looked at him, mouth falling slightly open. Did she mean what she thought he meant? She recovered by finally swallowing and taking a drink of her soda, but for some reason she couldn't take her eyes off him. He still had that smirk on his face. 

Rose put down he soda and leaned a bit forward. She took a deep breath and with every fiber of her being tried to squash the battalion of butterflies that had taken flight in her stomach. "Doctor?' she asked quietly, but stronger than she thought.

"Yes?"

"What is this?"

"What?”

“This.” She motioned between them. 

“You mean us?"

"Yes."

He sat back in his chair. There was the sound of the front door to the shop opening and a huge family coming in, complete with boisterous children and haggard parents in tow. The volume in the shop went up 100%, making the Doctor lean in again. "I don't know what his is Rose, " he said in a low voice, "but I'd like to find out."

"Rose leaned even closer to him. "I'd like to find out too. Do you think this could be a thing?"

"I don't know, would you like it to be?

Now it was Rose's turn to smirk. "I don't know. I mean, you're you and I'm me. Pretty opposite, don't you think?"

The Doctor moved back a little, his face hardening somewhat in thought. "I guess, but things like this are odd. They have their own preferences. No one knows really what attracts two people together. Do you think there is something that will keep us from… getting tog… from being separate?"

Rose giggled at his struggle, enjoying watching him trip over his words, something that never happened. It was refreshing to see him being like a normal human. But she also realized that she hadn’t answered him yet. She took a breath, “It's just we are so different. I don't know what made you see me like this. You have everything and I'm just..."

The Doctor broke in, "You're just wonderful, Rose, so full of life, curiosity and... beauty. You’re a great person. And you aren't scared of me. From the very beginning, after I splashed you with that puddle, you stood your ground. Not only is that admirable, but it made me see what lies beneath. And it intrigued me. I had to get to know you more.”

Rose blushed under the compliment and looked down at her now empty food wrappers. 

The Doctor panicked. She wasn’t answering back. He was losing her. She didn't think she was good enough for him. That just wouldn't do. Carefully he reached across the table and lifted her chin. He looked up into the whiskey brown eyes of the beautiful girl before him. "Rose, don't you think for a second that you are in any way not fit for the likes of me. You said last week that I was impressive. But I'm impressed with you every day, and I'm hard to impress. I see nothing in our basic makeup that would preclude us from at least testing the waters together."

Rose smiled, her chin still in his hand. "You make a compelling argument."

"That's my job," he answered, letting go of her chin but taking her hand in his. 

Rose softened even more. "Shall we go?"

"Sure," he countered, not sure where she was going. But letting go of her in order to move. 

They collected the trash and put it in the bin, but when he turned to go out the back door, where they had come in, she took his hand and let him out the front door. This time, though, she didn’t let go, instead she let him catch up and then they walked together, truly linked for the first time. 

OoOoOo

Rose had taken him out of the shop into a large courtyard. There were shops and food carts all around a central amphitheater area. In the middle of it all a little folk band was playing. There were even a few people up dancing. The Doctor paused. "Wow I had no idea this was even here."

Rose laughed. "You were worried, weren't you? That I would take you to a bad part of town?"

"I'm not going to lie. Yes, I was a little worried." At that, Rose playfully bumped into his shoulder. 

"Not everything in my neighborhood is bad, Doctor. This is one of my favorite places to go. It's a tight community. We do our best to look out for each other. It’s hard though. But places like this make it alright."

"But I’m nervous, Rose. I saw the overdoses at near your flat. I want you to be safe all the time."

"I think that's getting better too. I think they got the ring leader. It’s all looking up!" she said cheerfully. 

"Oh yes it is," he murmured, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles gently. 

Rose sighed a little and let him bring her into a hug. Then both melted together. It had been a long time since either had hugged like that. 

When they finally released, he still held her hand as took in the sights. He even bought them ice cream to eat while they walked around. Before they knew it, it was late. 

Rose's phone buzzed in her pocket and she regretfully let go of the Doctor to look at it. "Oh, it's my Mum. She got home, and I wasn't there. She's checking on me. I didn't realize it was so late."

"Yeah, I should probably get you home, we still have court tomorrow."

"Yeah," she answered a little breathlessly, taking his hand again and leading him back to his car. 

Neither wanted to let go of the other in the car. They settled on holding hands across the console. It was fun. Something so new and exciting for both of them, it was like they had to keep in contact with each other just to be sure it was still happening. 

All too soon they were back outside her flat. There was a police car near, but it looked like the officer was just writing a report. When the Doctor put the car in park they turned to each other. 

They both wore smiles, but neither knew what to do. 

The Doctor was the first to speak. "Shall I walk you up?"

Normally Rose would have denied, but she didn't want the night to end. 

"Sure, " she answered. 

They both got out, took each other's hand and made their way to the stairs. This time though, he stayed with her as she ascended and came right to her door with her. 

Once there, they faced each other. Rose smiled and giggled a little. 

"What?" he asked cupping her cheek with his free hand. 

"I feel like a teenager. My Mum's inside and I feel like she knows."

"But we're adults."

"Tell that to her," she laughed. She sighed now. "I don't want this to be over. I don't want to go inside."

"Nor do I want you to, but we have court tomorrow. We have to be sharp." 

Rose nodded, his hand still on her cheek. She was about to move again, when she felt him let go of her hand and place his other hand on her cheek. Then he was there, just in front of her, millimeters away. She could feel his breath on her face. 

“Is this alright?" he whispered. 

Rose couldn't find words and just nodded. He quirked a little smile but only for a second before he pressed his lips to hers. It was chaste at first but soon Rose leaned in, deepening it. She was about to open herself up to him when he broke the kiss. He stayed very close though, and took her into his arms.

It was warm and amazing being so close to him, She breathed him in, he smelt so good, just a little spicy yet sweet. She would have stayed there all night when he gently separated them.

“Rose, I want to continue, heck I could do this… or more... all night, but we both should-"

"I know. But I liked it. I wish it didn't have to end."

"It doesn't, though we should cool it at work, not like it's bad, but something could make others uncomfortable."

"I get it. No snogging in your office then?"

He laughed, “Probably not. But I definitely intend on continuing this very soon."

"I'd like that."

"So, I guess I should go." He didn't move.

Rose giggled. "I guess so. But in order to do that you will have to move."

He grunted. "But how about dinner tomorrow night, I'll pick the place."

"I'd love to, but you really don't have to keep taking me out. You'll go broke."

"Not hardly. Plus, I like to. With our crazy schedule I don't have much time otherwise. I'll take you after court tomorrow."

"OK," Rose answered, blushing.

"What?" 

"It's just a little fairy tale isn't it?"

"I'm OK with fairy tale, just so long as I'm with you." With that he leaned in and placed another kiss on her lips, but only for a few seconds. Then he stepped back. "I'll leave you with that Rose Tyler. And I'll see you tomorrow."

Rose smiled and went to open her door. The Doctor matched her grin and turned to go, just as he did, he saw the swish of the curtain in the window next to them. Rose’s mother had been watching. 

He looked up when he got to the street level just in time to see Rose waving from the afore mentioned window. He waved back before getting in his car. 

OoOo

Rose opened the door to her flat when the Doctor turned to leave. She stepped in only to come face to face with her mother. "Hi Mum," she uttered, waiting for the inevitable onslaught. 

"So, you two are a thing eh?" her mother pressed. 

"I don't know, I guess."

"Are you sure you should be doing that with your boss?" Jackie now had her arms crossed as Rose went to the window to look out the curtains. She waited a moment to answer, instead waving down to him before turning back. 

"Mum, we're not DOING anything right now. It's just the start. But I like him and want to spend more time with him. 

"He's your boss."

"Only for a few more weeks, then my internship is done and I can get hired anywhere."

"Are you sure he's not just taking advantage of the cute, young girl that looks up to him?"

"Mum! No! This is two sided. He likes me, but I like him too. And he's not rushing into anything. I'm not going to ruin my internship over it. But I like him."

"What about all that happened two weeks ago?"

"Well first off, he apologized profusely. But I've been watching him. That is not him. He's kind and smart. He's very good in court too, but is taking time to explain things to me. I'm learning a lot. I'll be able to take that to the next job I get."

"Are you just going to leave him then?"

"Mum, how would I know that? I haven't even started looking for jobs yet. It's all so new. Can you just let it be for now?

Jackie merely frowned and nodded. Rose moved passed her and towards her room, only to hear Jackie mumble, "I still think he's too posh though." To that Rose slammed her bedroom door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we go, you all are about to get VERY upset with the Doctor. It's also going to go downhill from here. I am not able to deliver an unhappy ending though, so take heart. 
> 
> I also apologize for making you wait so long for this update. To make up for it, I give you a monster of a chapter. It all just needed to be together. I also wrestled with it a lot, mostly with revealing details and stuff. I hope you like it!

Rose slept well that night and even was excited to find a good morning text from the Doctor when she woke. She had a fast ride into work on the bus and it seemed like the start to a good day. She and Jack also chatted nicely on the way to the courthouse to meet the Doctor, though Rose had to try really hard not to let slip what had gone on the night before. She held her ground though, no matter how hard Jack pried. 

She was in a great mood up until she sat on the chair in the courtroom and caught the Doctor's face. Before she could ask why he looked so tight and frustrated, the trial began again. Then it all went to hell, no handbasket needed.

Over the course of several hours, she found out from the Doctor that their defendant, who had been released from jail, had been arrested for another crime the night before. That fact would not affect the current case, but it delayed the start and they could tell that the jury figured it out. Technically it shouldn’t have change anything, but damage was damage. 

A second blow came when not one, but two witnesses flipped their stories. Each of them did it on the stand, with no warning. Both had blindsided the Doctor. He had so meticulously prepared them for the trial, but they both decided to tell a different story. Unfortunately, both of those stories hurt the defense greatly. 

By the time it was over the Doctor looked pale and drawn. He had tried his best, in fact he gave a great performance, but everything fell out from under him. There was nothing he could do. 

Rose rode back to the office that afternoon with Jack, but the mood in the car was much different. 

Finally, she asked. "What happened? I thought we had this sewn up?" 

Jack shook his head. "We did. We had all the angles covered. But sometimes this happens. Usually not at the same time though. What was that idiot thinking getting arrested with a hooker last night? It's not supposed to make a difference in this trial, but it will. I mean, we had to retrieve him from the jail to come to his trial from something else. And I don't know what is going on with the witnesses. All I can think of is that they are afraid of incriminating themselves. God, it was a cluster fuck though, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't know if I could even come up with a better term to describe it. Do you suppose the Doctor's OK?"

"He's always OK. But he'll be up all night trying to find a way out. He'll do it though. That's who he is."

"I hope so."

OoOoOo

Back at the office, Rose could see that the Doctor's door was open. She played with sticking her head in for some encouragement, when she heard the voice. She froze. Jack stopped dead in his tracks too. 

Reinette was in there. Her voice resounded above everything, "But you have to help him, John. His mother is my dear friend. He's such a sweet boy. I've known him since he was little. They don't have anything on him. He's completely innocent, just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Come on, give it a shot."

In the office they could hear the Doctor talking but couldn't make out what he was saying. Before long Reinette heard them in the outer office and closed the door. 

Now not having to be quiet, and with nothing to eavesdrop, Rose and Jack went about answering emails and putting things away. After a while Jack stood. "Well It's time to go. We'll hopefully have a better day tomorrow."

Rose agreed but didn't move to leave. 

"It's time to go, aren’t you leaving?"

Rose blushed. "We're supposed to go to dinner." Her voice was low so as to not be overheard in the office. 

"Ooooohhh,"Jack answered, matching her volume and glancing at the closed door. "Sorry, but I don't know if that is going to happen. When Reinette corners him, it rarely is short. She may be in there for hours."

"But he's one of the best arguers in the world."

"But it’s something about her. It's like when she's here he isn’t in control anymore. She undoes him. I've seen her just come into a room and have him abandon what he's doing. No matter how important it was."

"You've also seen them shagging on his desk."

"Don’t remind me. Though I must say that the Doctor has a great ass."

Rose looked down. "He doesn't still love her, does he?” she asked nervously. 

"Oh no, no way. But she still can influence him. It's weird. Anyway, you might be waiting a while," he whispered now.

"In know, I'll stick around for a bit and see if she goes."

"OK Rosie," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't let him make you wait. But after dealing with her he may need you.”

"Maybe,” Rose whispered cryptically. And Jack raised his eyebrows before going. 

Rose listened to the back and forth sounds behind the door between Reinette and the Doctor for a little while before it started heating up. Voices were starting to be raised and Rose tried not to listen but couldn't help it. Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable being there. It felt like she was spying on them. It wasn't getting better, so she very quietly got herself together to leave. Of course, that would be the time she leaned over to grab something, and her chair toppled, crashing down. 

The voices in the office stopped abruptly and the Doctor instantly opened the door. "Rose," he started. He wore an apologetic half smile. 

"It's OK," she whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded, reaching for the door to close it, just before he did he mouthed "I'm sorry" to her. Rose just smiled in encouragement and left. 

OoOoOo

The next day in court was no better from the one the day before. But mercifully the prosecution came to them on a recess and offered a plea deal. The defendant would plead guilty to this charge, they would let other charges go, including some new charges that were pending. The Doctor worked all afternoon with them and his client before they came to an arrangement. Rose and Jack had long since gone back to the office when the Doctor came back.

He walked in, shoulders slumped, dragging his feet. 

"Did it work out?” Jack asked. 

The Doctor looked up. "Yeah, it would have been all good except for the man is a fucking idiot. He couldn’t keep his goddamn nose clean for 30 seconds," he groused, but then he brightened. "So Rose, I'm sorry about last night. But I’m going to make it up to you. I have reservations at 'Le Tardis'. It's a great place. It looks small, but they can fit a large amount of people in there. The food is out of this world."

"Le Tardis?" came a high-pitched voice at the doorway. They all turned to see Reinette leaning against the doorway. "How delightful, I accept."

"Reinette, " the Doctor started.

"John it's perfect, I have to talk to you. My best friend’s son is about to get out on bail. We need to move on this if we want to get them as clients."

"I never agreed to do this, Reinette," he growled.

"Oh yes you did,” She took his arm and he flinched away. 

"Listen, Reinette. Rose and I had plans."

"Oh, you did, did you?" She eyed Rose up and down with a frown. "Well I'm sure she can wait for your... plans. We have important things to discuss. This case is going to be huge. But we have to jump now, my friend’s husband is a very influential man. We must secure him as a client. They have used another firm in the past but weren’t happy with them. This is our chance to get them.”

The Doctor looked like he was going to protest but didn't. Rose and Jack could almost see the wheels turning in his head. His jaw was clenched and working too. Then he shook his head. "Give me a minute, Reinette," he said, once again removing his arm from her. 

"Fine, I'll get my things," she said, turning and tottering out of the room. 

The Doctor now faced Rose and Jack. The thickness of the tension between them was palpable. No one said anything right away. The Doctor looked between Rose and Jack before his eyes landed on Rose. His expression was just a little sad, but his eyes were cold, like he wanted to say or do something that he couldn’t get out of yet knew that there would be fallout. He took a breath and spoke to her. "Rose, I’ve got to take care of this. I promise to make it up to you… again."

Rose just looked at him for a moment, and he squirmed under her stare. "Sure Doctor, we'll reschedule,” she answered. Her voice held no emotion, but her eyes were locked with his. The Doctor reached out and touched her arm, but only for a second. Then, he turned and left in Reinette’s wake. 

When he was gone, Jack sighed deeply. "See? The man could stop a glacial shift with a glance but will do whatever that woman says. No wonder she broke him like she did. God, she chaps my hide."

“But it’s a good case? Yeah?” Rose asked. 

“I’m sure it is. But it’s always a good case or something. The fact remains that she just flounces in here and takes over. It makes me sick.”

"Yeah," said Rose, gathering her stuff to go home.   
OoOoOo  
The time Rose spent on the ride home was mostly taken up by thoughts of the Doctor. He was obviously interested in her, but then in danced Reinette. It was like when he saw her he forgot what he was doing. Like she pulled him into another world altogether. Rose was even surprised that he even was able to divorce her in the first place. What would happen if he and Rose got closer? Would he drop her every time Reinette came around? That was no basis for a relationship. He needed to know where she stood on this. By the same token it was awful early in the relationship for her to be giving ultimatums. 

But this was a big thing. If they were going to continue, she had to have his full attention. Well, as much attention as he was able to give given his current job. One thing for absolute sure, if Reinette was there Rose would not be. 

OoOoOO

Rose got off the bus started towards home. There were a few police cars around, but no clear activity. It had been downright quiet since the Master had been arrested. The stairway meetings had all stopped. On top of that, the boys that had been involved with that character had seemed to go back to normal, well those who weren’t arrested with him.

Her mother even said that there had been no new overdoses, maybe by eliminating the head of the organization they had solved the problem. It certainly felt good though. Rose jogged up the stairs to her flat but could see that someone was waiting outside. Her first thought was defense, but then she could see that he was not hiding, then for a quick second she thought it may be the Doctor, but then she got closer she saw he was shorter and thinner than then Doctor, then she saw a badge. 

She approached the man, dressed in a shirt and tie with the badge on his belt. "Rose Tyler?" he asked.

"Yes, who are you?"

"I'm DI Chester Allon, I’ve just been assigned to the case against a young man that has been selling drugs around here. I'm here for follow-up on your experience with him."

"Do you mean the guy they call 'the Master'"?

"That is his alias, yes. His real name is Koshi Maitre. Everyone’s been calling him the Master." He then opened a folder he had in his hands and pulled out a picture of the spikey haired person in question. 

"Yes, that's him." Rose confirmed.

"Miss Tyler, I'd like to see if we can have you down to the station for a formal interview. "

"Why, don't you have enough on him?"

The DI sighed. "This kid is slick. His parents have a lot of money and will be spending a good bit on his defense. We need to get all we can on him. We’re also trying to make sure we don't miss anything. We know we have the right guy, but nailing him down is proving frustrating at best. That's why we need you. You’ve see him, you’ve been threatened by him. It gives us more to work with. We’re building this case. Honestly, you are one of the only decent witnesses that have encountered him. So, we need your help. As it is, he's already out on bail. "

"I'll do what I need to. He's a menace. He ruined so many lives."

"Thank you, can you come in tomorrow at 8am?" 

"Yeah, I'll be there."

OoOoOo

Rose had texted Jack that night saying that she had personal business to attend to in the morning and that she would be in as soon as she could. She didn't text the Doctor. 

The interview with the DI in the morning went well but took a long time. It was mostly him getting the details of her encounters with the Master and her helping him with people who may be good witnesses. 

By the time she got to work it was nearly 11. When she got to her desk she found the Doctor there waiting, wearing a worried look. 

"Sorry I'm late, something came up, " she explained. 

"Is everything OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just home stuff." She really didn't want to explain. Drama from the estates was just that, and she didn't need to add to it buy him being protective. She’d explain later if she needed. 

"Oh OK," he answered still hovering while she put her things in her desk and sat down. 

"Is there anything I could help you with Doctor?" she asked, keeping a neutral face. 

"As a matter of fact, there is. That and I wanted to apologize. I had every intention of taking you to dinner last night when Reinette pushed her way in. To her credit, we had a lot to talk about. This is going to be an interesting case. In addition, if they choose us to be their counsel it could be huge. We ended up talking late into the night."

'Yeah talking,' Rose thought, but didn't let her disappointment play on her face. 

He continued, "So anyway, I want to take you to lunch... today to make up for it. Then maybe dinner?"

He was trying, and Rose could tell. He wasn't a man who apologized easily. She couldn’t help but laugh. "Ok, lunch, but I have to get some things done first. We'll see on dinner. Let's get through the day first."

"Deal," he said turning for his office. 

Across the room Amy, still eternally on the phone, gave her a sly smile.

OoOoOo

After Rose had gotten her emails replied to and phone messages taken care of, she and the Doctor went to the little sandwich shop. He insisted on getting her order then bringing it to her. When he did, he of course had a huge cookie accompanying the sandwich on the tray. Rose giggled. "You and those cookies."

"What?" he asked in mock affront, "they’re good, and, as I’ve said before, good for your soul."

As they began to eat, the Doctor started to explain the case he had started. Though he only got to explain the defendant’s mother’s friendship to Reinette when Rose visibly flinched at the woman’s name. 

"Ok Rose, what's wrong? " he asked.

Rose took a moment to muster her courage. "You and me, we're a thing, right?"

"Yes," he agreed.

"But if we are, what are you and Reinette?"

"We're exes, you know that."

Rose took a steeling breath. "Does she know that?"

The Doctor stilled, his blue eyes boring into her brown ones. "What do you mean?" he finally asked.

Rose knew she was already in too deep but had to go further. "When she comes in, you grind to a halt. She just takes over."

"Rose, it's not..."

“I know, you’re working together. But is this going to happen if we start a relationship? Is she going to always have that effect on you? If we go further with our relationship, will you always turn your head to her? Will you ignore me for her? I don't want this to be ultimatum. I really don't. But if she's going to be always there, I can't be. "

"That is an ultimatum."

"I know. But I just wanted you to know how I felt. You can take it as you like. This thing between us is so new, but I don't want to ruin it. I also don’t want to go on if I’m going to be your second string."

The Doctor leaned back in his chair. "I can see where you're coming from. But let me tell you, you're safe. I realize that she can be overbearing, but she gets the job done. That’s why I want you to work on this case with me and her. I think you can learn a lot. And as for us, again, you’re safe. I hold nothing for her anymore. But I do hope you can work with us." He leaned forward and took her hands in his. 

"She hates me, "Rose stated.

"She doesn't know you."

"If looks could kill, you'd have a murder case on your hands."

He squeezed her hands. "Nonsense," he countered, laughing. Just as he started to bring her hands to his lips, his phone rang. He set her hands down gently and fished it out of his pocket. He frowned. Rose could tell from the expression and then the tone of his voice that it was Reinette. After answering, he listened for a few moments. "I'll be right there," he grumbled, and rung off.

The Doctor’s face took a guilty look. "We have to go back, Reinette has our client's father with her and needs to talk to us."

"Are you sure?" she asked, trying to search his face for any evidence that it would really work.

"Yes, c'mon, they're waiting." He grinned widely at her and stood, taking her hand again to walk back to the office.

OoOoO

Not that Rose was paying attention, well she was, when the lift dinged on their floor, the Doctor let go of her hand. When the doors opened, the first thing they saw was Reinette, wearing a sour look that only got sourer when she saw who he was with. She was waiting alongside a small man who looked to be in his mid-fifties or early sixties. She could tell that he was rich from his clothes, but he looked mostly like a nerdy accountant. He had wire rimmed glasses and was petite, maybe 5’3” at best. He was also small in stature with narrow shoulders that led to a small but long face. His hair was neat, combed over to the side. The suit he wore, though was clearly tailored and very expensive. Overall, he didn’t at all look like a man that would have a child who was in trouble.

Reinette stood tapping her more than likely very expensive peekaboo pump that showed well-manicured toes. She looked annoyed that the Doctor was late for a meeting he didn't know he had. 

She started without ceremony. "John, this is Albert Taylor, our client's father. "

The Doctor shook the other man's hand. Rose could not help but notice that his hand almost completely enveloped the smaller man's. 

"Where is your son, Mr Taylor? " the Doctor asked. 

The man seemed to almost shake under the Doctor’s glare. "Oh, you know kids. He's sleeping. It’s been a hard week for him."

The Doctor grimaced and opened his mouth to say something then thought again and closed it. This was not the time to call out a potential client. 

"Shall we get started?" Reinette asked, already walking toward the Doctor's office. 

"Yes, lets," he countered. "Oh Mr. Taylor, this is my paralegal intern Rose. She'll be taking notes for us."

Reinette stopped in her tracks and spun around. "No, she won't. This is a family matter. Albert, you don't want an intern in with us, do you?"

Mr. Taylor looked nothing less than terrified under Reinette's gaze. "No, please. I'd like to keep this matter personal."

"I understand," the Doctor answered curtly. He gave her an apologetic look... again. This time Rose returned it to him. He was the one who had to go in there with that woman. They also had to do as the client wanted. If the client didn't want her in there he didn't, even if it was Reinette's idea. 

The three went into the Doctor's office and the door closed behind them. Just then Rose heard over from Amy's desk, "Cow."

Rose snorted and went back to work. 

OoOoOo

Inside the office the details were coming out. Mr. Taylor was married to Reinette's best friend. They had one son, Roland. The mother was currently on vacation in the south of France and not due back for another week or so. The Doctor wondered why she hadn't run back to them. It was interesting. Anyway, the boy was much like his mother, outgoing, loved to party etc. The case against him wasn't strong. It seemed like the police had jumped the gun a little in arresting him. They didn't have enough on him to convince the judge to keep him in, so he was let out on bail. The father denied that his son was selling drugs but agreed just to the fact that the young man had a propensity to hang around the wrong crowd. He assured Reinette and the Doctor that he was a good boy and just a misunderstood. The Doctor didn't believe a word of it.

But when the terms of payment were laid out, Mr. Taylor didn't bat an eye. That was a good thing, then there was the case itself, and the Doctor loved a challenge. It was all there, lucrative client, bungled police work, intrigue. It would be fun to pick part the prosecution. He only wished Rose could join them. 

He could see why Reinette didn't like her. She hadn't liked any of his interns, especially the female ones. But this was the first time he had an interest in anyone beyond passing fancy. It was possible that eventually Reinette would come around, but not likely. 

This case wouldn’t be as fun without Rose, as he had come to see that he rather liked working with her even beyond the relationship aspect. But working with Reinette, though difficult, was not without merits. First of all, it was invigorating. It always had been. Something about the hunt for finding holes in the case excited them both. That was the energy that put them together in the first place. Though he would never go back to her, it still felt good to be in the race again. 

He wanted Rose to feel what he did. This job could be so thrilling, and he wanted to share it with her. But Reinette was currently making that difficult. Getting Rose onto this case was something he would work towards even if it was in the background, both for the learning experience but also for a more selfish reason. He wanted to be near her. Lunch that day had only solidified that. He hoped that today's meeting with the client wouldn't go into dinner time, but it already didn’t look good. Time was passing quickly and Roland still hadn't shown up, despite his father's insistence that he would. 

He looked down to a paper in his hand. It was the contract for them to represent the boy. The Doctor looked down at it and squinted. The paperwork had been drawn up by Reinette and this was the first time he had seen it. “Mr. Taylor, I have question.”

“You can call me Albert, but go ahead.”

The Doctor pointed to the paper, that he had now set on the desk. “I just saw this, I thought your son’s name was Roland Taylor. Is this the wrong name we have on here? Who is Koshi Maitre?”

Albert sighed and laughed mirthlessly. “Yes, last year the boy said he didn’t like the name we gave him or his last name, even though he was named after my father. So he took his mother’s maiden name as his last name. His first name he got from the Urban Dictionary. It has something to do with partying. He had both names legally changed. He says it suits him better.”  
“And you’re OK with this?” the Doctor ventured.

Albert sighed, “My wife said she liked it. She never liked my father. So, I got out voted.”

The Doctor regarded him for a moment. The man before him had every look of a man that was in total control and had done very well for himself. But the Doctor was really beginning to wonder if this family was more trouble than they let on. 

Before he could think more, Reinette broke in and refocused them on the work at hand. 

OoOo

In the outer office, Rose was stewing. It was hard to take the Doctor's words seriously about Reinette when she could come in and take him away so quickly. He had no control when it came to her. That was going to be an obstacle for sure if not a deal breaker. She was mulling this over when the doors opened to his office. The Doctor stuck his head out and gave her a quick grin, but then turned to Jack. "Jack, we need you..." he said, then retreated back in. 

Jack groaned out loud. "Well here I go, through the gates of hell. See you on the other side." He grabbed a legal pad and a pen. Jack then stilled, and looked back to Rose, "They're only calling me in because of... experience," he fumbled. 

"I'm sure," she answered coldly, then thought again. "It's not your fault, Jack, no worries."

Jack ran over and pecked her on the head, then went about making various religious symbols on himself before entering. 

Rose laughed, she couldn’t help herself. But when the door closed again she felt a little sick. She was going to need to spend some time thinking. The issue was whether she was willing to go forward with the Doctor if Reinette had this hold on him. It may not be worth it. 

The divide between her head and heart quickly gave Rose a headache. She went about her duties, but slower, taking special interest in the details. Before she knew it, it was 5:00 and time to leave. She was gathering her things when Jack came out of the Doctor's office. 

"Rose, can I have the take away menus from my desk?" he asked. 

Rose retrieved the stack from Jack’s top drawer and handed them over. Only then did she realize that another of the Doctor's dinner invitations had been abandoned. Jack took the menus and her eyes met his sympathetic gaze. Rose didn't say anything, though and quickly found herself looking down at the desk. 

Without a word, she grabbed her bag and jacket and headed for the bank of lifts. Behind her she could hear Jack talking to the Doctor, who had stepped out of the office. Rose had made it to the lifts and stared at the illuminated button indicating she was going down. The ding of the lift could not come fast enough, and she silently pleaded for it to come. She wasn't willing to turn around, in case he saw her. She was retreating, and she knew it. She wasn’t proud of it but needed to put some distance between them. 

After an agonizing wait, the lift arrived, and Rose stepped in and pressed the button. A half second before the doors closed, he heard "Rose!" in a familiar Northern burr. 

What she couldn't see was that the Doctor had started towards her but didn't make it anywhere near in time. He called out, but the doors had shut only a moment later. Rose had a fleeting thought that she should come back. He was calling for her. But at the same time the closing doors were a relief, respite from the situation with Reinette. All she wanted to do now was go home. 

OoOoOo  
The Doctor stood near the closed lifts for a few moments until there was another ding. He looked up hopefully, but then saw it was the lift next to the lift Rose had been in. The doors opened, and he stood there watching hopefully. Out stepped a young man, dressed in baggy black pants and a wrinkled button-down shirt. He looked disheveled, like he had just told out of bed. The whole package reeked of someone who didn’t care. That was, all but his spikey blonde hair, which was immaculate. He looked up at the Doctor and gave a cocky smile. "You must be the Doctor, the one that will get me out of this mess. I'm Koshi."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how said that you were about to be very mad at the Doctor and you were? Well you're about to be much more mad. Don't worry though, I won't leave you hanging. This is another massive chapter. Please let me know what you think. Again I apologize.

On the bottom floor, Rose seriously considered turning back and going back to see the Doctor. But then she didn't. She couldn’t. She believed him that he wanted to be with her. But the environment up there was not a good one for her. For them to further what they had they would need a “Reinette free zone.” Then just maybe they could make it work. 

OoOoOo

Rose had been home for hours when her phone dinged. So far she had done two loads of laundry, touched up her roots and watched an episode of East Enders with her Mum. As frustrated as she was with the Doctor it felt good just to be home doing things. She didn’t find herself to be mad, but more aggravated. 

Of course, she was doing her stuff peppered with multiple pointed questions about their relationship from her mother. Luckily, she was mostly able to brush them off. Her mother loved drama and Rose had no wish to further it by giving her details on the whole Doctor/Rose/ Reinette problem. She ended up just telling her mother that the Doctor was a busy man and had something to do that night. 

She had just settled into bed with a trashy novel when she was notified of a text. The only person she really texted her anymore was her mother, so she got up to get it. She picked it up and unlocked it. The Doctor's name shone on her screen along with a message, "Hi Rose, I'm truly sorry for today. I really wanted to take you for dinner tonight."

Rose replied, "No problem. I know you had to work." She wasn't in the mood to get into a conversation, not with him, not now.

Seconds after she answered the text her phone rang. She groaned and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi," he said, "I'm sorry for calling so late, I just wanted to hear your voice."

"You heard it a few hours ago." Nope still not having it.

He paused. "Rose, you know I like you. But Reinette is part of the practice. When we get a case like this one we work together. She's over the top, I know, but she's also very good at what she does. And this family has the potential to be very lucrative to us. Somehow between the wife and the son they get into a lot of scrapes. If they pull us on as their law firm, we stand to make a lot of money."

"I understand." Rose answered non-commitally. 

"Rose?"

"Yes?"

"Are you telling me that I think you're telling me without really telling me?"

Rose couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "I don't know."

"Well at least you can laugh at me. Rose, I'm not ready to see you just go away. I think we can have something. But I need some time to set some boundaries. You know, get Reinette to back off a little. I'm not sure if she'll let you work with us, but I can get her to relax in general. Right now, I just think she is seeing money when she sees them. Especially with that kid of theirs, he's menace."

This time Rose laughed out loud. It was out of character for him to talk badly about a client. She'd heard him grouse before, but not cut someone down.

"Rose, can you give me a chance? I just need time to get this stuff taken care of with Reinette. In the mean time I plan on spoiling you as much as I can. Dinner, tomorrow? Nothing can get in the way. I'll take you somewhere nice. It’ll be just us, I promise."

"For sure? What if she comes in at the last minute with a crisis?"

"There is no crisis bad enough to keep me from taking you out on the town. Alien invasion? No problem. Floods, fires or famine? No issue. I'm taking my girl out. Is that OK with you?"

Rose smiled reveling in being called his girl. Antiquated? Yes, but adorable too. "Yes. I'll find something fabulous to wear."

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No Doctor, I wasn't mad really in the first place. I was just disappointed, you know? I guess I needed to hear that you were willing to make a go of this and then see you do it. I have to go to bed now though, so I don't look frightful in the morning. "

He chuckled back. "You couldn't look frightful, ever, no matter what you think, you always look beautiful."

"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow Doctor."

"I'll see you tomorrow my sweet Rose."

OoOoOo

The next morning Jackie woke to the sound of her daughter rummaging around in her closet. "UGH, where are they?" came the muffled words of Rose.

"What are you looking for?" Jackie asked, also now leaning over her daughter to see too.

"Mum get back, you're in my light!" Rose cried. Then "Aha!" She backed out of the closet and held up a pair of sky high pumps. 

"You're not wearing those to work, are you?" Jackie gasped. "You'll be on your bum in a minute!"

Rose laughed. "No Mum, the Doctor is taking me out tonight, somewhere fancy. That's why I got this dress out."

There was a bright blue dress draped across her bed that Jackie recognized. "Oh, that one's lovely. It's the one you wore to your cousin Joanie's wedding isn’t it?"

"Is she a cousin, I thought she was more like an aunt a few times removed?" Jackie shrugged in response. "Anyway, yeah it is. I was hoping to get a chance to wear it again. I love how it sparkles in the light."

"So, he's taking you somewhere fancy then?"

"That's what he says. He says he must make up for things, he's been distracted lately. His ex is a real attention whore. She’s been working with him a lot lately and it's like he can't resist her. But he swears that I have his full attention."

"I don't know honey, in my experience men can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Are you sure about this?"

"I know what I'm doing Mum, he wants me to give him a chance. But if I don't think that he is actually giving me the attention, I'll end it. And if it gets weird, I’ll switch to another internship. I’m not worried."

"I'm so proud of you Rose, at your age I didn't have the strength you have."

"That's rubbish, at my age you had me. You don’t think raising a kid alone takes courage?"

Jackie didn't answer, she just took her daughter in her arms and hugged her tightly. Then the two went about hanging the dress in a garment bag for Rose to take with her. 

OoOoOo

When Rose arrived at the office she was met by a smiling Doctor who had been speaking with Amy. He eyed her bag with a bemused look. 

"What? you didn't expect me to wear evening clothes all day did you?"

"I guy can dream, can't he?"

"You're funny," she answered, hanging the garment bag on the coat hook. 

When he went into his office Amy whispered, “You better not change without letting me see." 

"I won't. Hey, do you know how to do an up do? I never get it right."

"Oh honey, I have an up do for you that will make his clothes fall off," Amy whispered conspiratorially. 

Rose blushed furiously, only to be further accosted by Jack who had just come in. Between the two of them, Rose blushed all morning. 

OoOo

The day went painfully slow for Rose. Every time Reinette came in, Rose winced a little. But she also left shortly after she came though, never looking at Rose, but occasionally calling out orders to Jack. 

Rose found it frustrating that Reinette ignored her, but by the same token liked the fact that she was not being put to work. She had plenty to do anyway. 

When lunchtime came Rose felt a little guilty leaving, but the Doctor was on a conference call with his door shut. Amy had invited her to join her and her boyfriend on the steps in the park below their office. The very same steps that the Doctor had looked out at her on the day after the horrible night. They had all brought their lunches and were sitting there enjoying a man play fetch with his overly enthusiastic dog when a shadow fell on Rose. 

She didn’t even have a chance to react before she heard a familiar voice. “Is this where you all go to when you are trying to escape me?" the Doctor asked, taking a seat next to Rose. 

"Only when you are being a butt," Amy chimed in, getting a light elbow from Rory.

The Doctor saw and laughed out loud. "Rory is it? Don’t worry, I hired Amy intentionally for her ability to not be shaken by me. I even tried to scare her off at her interview, but she actually scared me back, I hired her on the spot. I guess I have a soft spot for people that can take me and not be offended." As he said that, he eased his hand behind Rose to rest on the concrete step behind her. But the pressure he applied to her back felt more like a hug and Rose leaned into it. 

The Doctor hadn’t brought food but soon hopped up and went to a hot dog vendor that was a few meters away. He plopped down next to Rose and held up his food. “See? Normal people food.”

Rose laughed and matched his goofy grin, leaving Amy and Rory puzzled. 

They all chatted as they sat there. It was refreshing to see the high-powered barrister that she worked for laughing and joking along with them. Despite the age gap, he kept up with them and even got into a sparring match with Amy. He won, but Rose and Rory told him that Amy had bested him, which led to a whole different debate. 

Once when the Doctor was quizzing an obviously nervous Rory about how he planned to make a life for him and Amy, Rose sat back and watched. He was beautiful. The sunlight glinted off his skin and lit up his eyes. She could truly tell that he was happy when he was needling someone and pulling things out of them. His cheeks took on a pink hue that Rose was sure was more than just from the rare London sunshine. He was having fun. There doing something as simple as sitting on concrete steps with a bunch of youngsters, the Doctor was having fun. And she was too. 

The Doctor was still quizzing Rory when Amy looked at her phone. “Well I’ve got to get back to get the phones from the answering service. Are you quite done badgering my boyfriend?” She stood, crossing her arms and tapping her foot at the Doctor. 

“I think he has suffered enough. Yes, I’m through.” 

Rory took a deep breath that he had hoped no one would see and stood next to Amy. He took her hand and they started back for the office. 

When Rose and the Doctor stood, he took her trash to the bin then came back to her, taking her hand and helping her off the steps. Then he didn’t let go, instead threading his fingers between hers. He leaned in close to her ear. "Lunch was nice but could have been better if there were cookies."

Rose slapped his shoulder. "You and your cookies. Honestly. But I'm glad you joined us."

"I finished my call sooner than I thought I would. I figured I should catch up with you."

"How did you know I was here?"

"I've seen you before, from up above."

"Creepy."

"Or admiring, either works. "

"So, you've been watching me?"

"No, not like a stalker, but I had to do my research. I know what I want, but I have to be sure it is the right thing."

"Am I the right thing?"

The Doctor didn't answer, he simply brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her hand. He then held her hand all the way through the lobby, into the lift then into their office area, turning more than a few heads along the way. They didn’t however, encounter Reinette. Rose wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It would have been nice to show off a little, that was if he didn’t chicken out and drop her hand. She pushed the thought from her mind though, when he delivered her to her desk and dropped a gentle kiss on her head. 

OoOoOo

Their little interlude at lunch only made Rose look more forward to dinner. Reinette had been in and out that afternoon, but nothing too bad. She had said something to the Doctor about witness statements and being back later, then she heard him counter. "I have plans later, so anything you bring me needs to be before five. If you come later, it will have to wait until tomorrow." Just hearing that made Rose blush. Jack and Rose were busy all afternoon though, and time went faster than she thought it would. Just before five, Rose got up peeked at the Doctor in his office. He was engrossed in a phone call but glanced up and smiled at her. Rose withdrew and approached Amy. "Ready for hair and makeup?"

"Yeah just finishing up. Go change and I can do the rest in here. The lighting is better. "

"OK!" Rose grabbed her garment bag and headed into the bathroom.

Rose came back minutes later now dressed in her dress and heels. She was greeted with a low whistle. The Doctor was standing at her desk. "Wow," was all he said. 

Rose blushed severely. The bright blue dress she now wore had a deep V neck and was fitted around the bodice. The skirt had sparkles she shone when she moved. It was looser than the top of the dress, allowing it to swish when she walked, or hopefully twirl if she was dancing. "Doctor, I'm not done! You can't look yet!" she cried. 

"Oh, I think you look perfect just the way you are," he was positively leering, smiling from ear to ear.

"She's not ready," Amy said, grabbing her friend. "C'mon Rose, let’s go somewhere else to finish you. I doubt we'll get much accomplished with him here." She led Rose out of the office area, the Doctor's eyes still lingering on her.

"Woah boy." Came Jack's voice from behind him. 

The Doctor turned. He had forgotten Jack was there. "I see nothing wrong with admiring my date," he scoffed,

"But must you undress her with your eyes in front of us all?"

"Can it, Harkness," he barked back. 

Just then, someone one entered the office area and they both looked up. Instead of Rose or Amy, they were both disappointed to see it was Reinette. The Doctor took and let out a slow breath. “Reinette, I told you, I have plans, you need to come back."

"I know, John, and I don't want to ruin your little play date, but I have great news. Come into your office." She sashayed past him,

The Doctor shot a look of frustration to Jack and followed, but he did not close the door in an effort to let Reinette see that he was not getting involved. 

"What do you want, Reinette?" he asked, sitting atop his desk and crossing his arms.

"I have a present for you."

"Oh?"

"I have extremely good news on the Koshi Maitre case.”  
The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

Reinette gave him a filthy grin and walked closer. “You're going to add another win to your record?"

The Doctor couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Oh yeah? What have you got?"

“Well Daddy called today and said that his wife Cindy got back from vacation. She is insisting that the boy get off without a mark on his record."

"Well that remains to be seen."

"That leads me to the good part. To guarantee our full attention, they were also willing to up the payment, by 50%."

The Doctor uncrossed his arms and placed them on his knees. "Really? They are already paying out the nose for this and they want to pay more?"

"I guess that's the price of getting your little darling off scott free. And boy, do we have the advantage."

He leaned forward "I'm listening."

Reinette stepped closer to him, now just past his bent legs as he sat on the desk. "And I was able to get preliminary witness statements today."

"And..."

"You are about to be a very rich man."

"Oh? And how’s that?”

She stepped even closer. "They only have one relatively strong witness. Everyone else that they have is an idiot or druggie. Some are both. So, we really only have to take down one person."

"And you think I can end this witness in ten seconds or less?" He leaned towards her in anticipation. 

Reinette whispered, "You will have her in three seconds, tops." She took another step forward, now flush his desk and firmly between his legs. 

But the Doctor was lost in thought. This happened whenever things started to click on a case, his mind ramped up to a million kilometers per hour. He was already working angles he could take to discredit her, depending on her age and intelligence. These thoughts were like complex algorhythms laying out the method by which he would take this woman down piece by piece. He could do this simply on instinct. He reveled in it. The sweet intoxication of ending a witness and winning, coupled with the money they stood to make took over all his mind, leading him deep into thought. He didn’t even realize that Reinette had come even closer, resting her arms loosely around his neck, her face inches from his. 

OoOoOo

Rose and Amy finished quickly, just having to reapply makeup and put her hair up. Both were surprised at how quickly she went together. Rose checked herself in the mirror, gave a nod and hugged Amy. "This is perfect! I can't wait!"

"Oh yeah,” Amy stepped back and took her in. “He won’t be able to keep his hands off you. C'mon Cinderella, the ball awaits," Amy laughed and led her friend back to the office. 

They walked back to their desk area, Amy in front of Rose. Without saying it, they both had hoped to make a grand entrance for the Doctor and Jack. Rose entered from behind Amy, only to find Jack alone at the desks. He frowned and pointed with his eyes to the open office door but didn’t say anything. They all could hear the voices within. 

"We've got it John, no one can stop us now!" came Reinette’s shrill voice. 

Rose's expression darkened. No way, not tonight. She looked at both Jack and Amy stood up straight, and stomped over to the door to his office, ready to tell him she was ready to go and right in front of that cow. But what she saw when she rounded the corner made her stop dead in her tracks. He was seated on his desk and Reinette was standing between his legs, her arms around his neck. She was practically cooing to him right in his face. His expression was dreamy, and he was staring right back into her eyes. 

At that moment a thought slammed into Rose’s brain. All she could think of at that moment was Jack’s story of catching them having sex on that very desk. Now the two of them were dangerously close, his eyes locked to hers. And he was grinning. It was the same grin he had given her hours before when he got his hot dog. Reinette’s hips swung slightly as she stood there between his legs, mere inches from him. Rose was paralyzed on the spot, just gaping at them. They had no idea she was there, until she betrayed herself by letting out the smallest, most breathy gasp. But it was all it took. 

The Doctor looked up, his eyes finding and focusing on her, the spell he had been under now broken. She was there, a vision of beauty with a horrified look on her face. He instantly broke free of Reinette, detangling himself from her arms and pushing her back, jumping off the desk. But it was too late. By the time his feet hit the ground Rose was gone with the swish of sparkling, elegant fabric. 

He made it a step before Reinette pulled him back. "What are you doing, John? This is good news!"

The Doctor turned on her. "Damnit Reinette! You did this on purpose. You know I have plans and I imagine you figured out with whom. Why did you have to do this now?" he demanded. But then turned and charged out the door without giving her a chance to answer. He had to catch Rose. 

He hustled into the outer office, but was too late, she was gone. Jack stood at his desk slowly shaking his head. Just out of sight he could hear the lift doors closing. 

The Doctor stood frozen in place for a moment. He could try to follow her but knew but as soon as she hit the lobby she would be gone. He pulled out his phone and quickly called her, but it rang and went to voice mail. Anger welled up inside of him, instead of him following her in vain, he opted to deal with the cause of the problem. He walked back into his office and looked squarely at Reinette. "You could have held that information until tomorrow," he said, seething.

"I thought you would want to hear it, and you did. You were grinning like a loon."

"You put me in a bad position." 

"You didn't tell me to stop."

The Doctor stilled. She was right. Years of reacting to Reinette in a certain way had put him in a bad spot. He had reacted to her on instinct, and in doing so, wounded his sweet Rose. He held no feelings for Reinette but loved the thrill of the case. Reinette knew that too. She knew where his goat was tied and could get it anytime she wanted. 

"No, not this time. It's not going to go like this. You're not going to just flounce in here and get all of my attention. We're done here." Without another word, he grabbed his jacket and left Reinette standing there.

The Doctor tried ten other times to get Rose on the way to his car both by text and call. All went unanswered. 

Quickly he formulated his plan. He would go directly to her flat and beg her to give him another chance, should she want to. He should be only a few minutes behind her anyway. He had to set this right. 

He pulled out into traffic but immediately stopped. A car had stalled in the fast lane and traffic was at a standstill. He was stuck in gridlock with no way of getting to her. 

OoOoOo

Rose Tyler didn't let tears fall. She was angry, beyond angry. Seeing them like that made her realize that she and the Doctor were not meant to be together. He was still hung up on Reinette. So, she did what she could while still seeing red. She ran. If she didn't, she would have done or said something that would have ended her internship. 

Her anger did not stop her, it spurred her on. The deep hurt pulled at her insides, turning her stomach and clouding her vision. Then slowly, her brain took over the pile of jelly that was once her heart. One by one, plans began to form. No matter the damage done, forward movement helped. She knew she didn’t have anything coming into this internship and relationship, and she was coming out with exactly the same. The only thing gained was experience and time. Those would stay. The rest she could fade away. The Doctor could be gone, she could find a new internship and eventually a new job. She would miss Jack and Amy, but new people would come into her life. 

But she had to be done with the Doctor. It was wrong to think that a man like that could give all his attention to a girl like her. He was rich, powerful and the best barrister in England. Beyond that he was emotionally stunted and unable to move past the biggest mistake in his life. In fact, he looked like he was headed towards another session of sex on the desk. Just the thought of that made her insides twist. No, back to the task at hand. First, in the morning she would contact her school and see what she needed to do to transfer her internship. She was sure that a least Jack would see to it that she came with a good review. Then she would finish up and be off to get a job. The British legal system was huge and depending on where she landed and what kind of law was practiced there, she may never have to see John Smith again. 

After witnessing the single most maddening sight in her life, Rose had gone directly down the lift and out onto the street. Her bus was loading passengers and she stepped on as the last one. The bus drove away when the door shut behind her. It was an express bus too, so it made good time. Luckily too, because out the window she saw a car start to have engine trouble in the fast lane next to them. They had just missed a major traffic jam. 

Her phone went off multiple times while she walked to the bus stop and finally she just turned it off without even looking at it. After what she just witnessed, the last thing she needed was to talk to him. Nothing good could come from that. She didn’t know if she could hear another apology and another promise to her. All the Doctor seemed to be able to do was tell her how much he wanted to be with her but at the same time he had one hand in hers and the other in Reinette’s. 

After her plan about ending her professional relationship and then romantic relationship with him was solidified, more problems popped out. He knew where she lived and would most likely go there if he chose to pursue. And all the phone calls seemed to indicate that that was the case. No, no matter what he had to tell her she didn’t want to hear. She didn’t want to see him. She would need to separate herself from him, so he wouldn’t have a chance to try to talk himself out of it. Not like she would let him, but taking even the possibility of it away put Rose on top. 

Then another plan emerged. Her friend Shareen lived a two floors down. She could go there for the night. That way she wouldn’t have to see him, even if he was knocking at her door. Childish? Maybe, but at least she wouldn’t have him giving an Oscar worthy performance on her living room rug trying to justify his actions. Thinking about even being in his general vicinity made her sick now. She needed to put some space between them now, until she would formally cut her ties with him. 

Just that morning she had been thinking of them as a couple. Now she saw his true colors. Why did she even try? Why had she not just followed her original plan? No relationships, just finish her time and get her dream job. But in he came and swept her off her feet. He had everything to offer, but nothing to back it up. She had fallen victim to his blue eyes and magnetic personality. And she was taken down by his weakness. To be fair, Rose was getting out before any real damage was done. Her heart would heal over time and he would move on, only to stay the same. 

Rose got off at her stop and hurried home. Relief flooded her she reached to open the stairwell door. She was home, safe. Now she just had to get a few things and get to Shareen’s. Then he would have no recourse and she could go ahead with eliminating him from her life. Had her mother been home, it may have been more difficult, but it was a girl’s night out and she would sleep at her friend’s. She was almost clear. She swung open the door and rushed to the stairs, in her haste not seeing the familiar figure standing in a shadow. 

"Well would you look at what we have here?" came a recognizable, yet slimy voice. The person stepped out of the shadow, the light now hitting his spiky blonde hair. He looked disheveled, his eyes wide and dilated. His arms were twitching at his sides and he advanced on her quickly. 

"You shouldn’t be here!" Rose answered, as commandingly as her startled voice would allow. 

"But I am, and you're coming with me."

"No! "she protested, turning to run. She had made it a step before Koshi grabbed her by her hair. Rose struggled mightily, letting out a scream both in terror and pain. He held her tightly though, and wrestled until he brought a cloth over her mouth. There was a funny smell, but only for a second and Rose's world went black. 

He heaved her over his shoulder.

"C'mon you! " he called, and a younger man materialized. The man threw a blanket over Rose and the two walked calmly out the door and to a waiting van. To anyone who might have been watching, it looked like two men were taking a duvet to the cleaners. 

Rose was unceremoniously dumped into the back of the windowless van and Koshi got in next to her. The other man quickly got in front and drove away. 

OoOoOo

The Doctor pulled into a spot near Rose's stairwell that had just been vacated by a big van. He jumped out, barely remembering to close the door and ran to the stairs. He made it to her flat in record time, took a second to compose himself and knocked on the door. There was no answer, but he saw the curtains slightly open. He peered through the window to hopefully see her and convince her to come out and talk to him. 

The entire flat was dark. From what he could see, the doors to the rooms remained open. No one was home. He waited outside pacing before her door for two hours. The sun had gone down, and the lights came on. No one came. Just her neighbors, who looked more than a little uncomfortable with the strange, tall and intense man walking back and forth in front of Rose’s flat. Perhaps his expression kept them at bay, but no one approached him. When it became apparent that his waiting was in vain, the Doctor took out a business card from his wallet, scrawled “Please let me talk to you” on the back and tucked it into the door jamb. 

Sometime in the middle of the night that card fell from the door with a gust of wind and blew away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning dear readers, there are a lot of triggers in this chapter. There is kidnapping, drug use, mentions of sexual abuse (that doesn’t happen) and a bunch of general badness. You have been warned. In my opinion it’s not too bad, but if you get triggered easily I would skim or skip. If you want a summary, I'll be happy to provide one. 
> 
> I also want to thank you all for all the support I've been given throughout this process. This story has become one of my most popular ones. I also had forgotten that I had another Nine/Rose AU over on TSP that I might rework and bring to AO3. Hmmm. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading.

Rose woke up shivering. She was cold, very cold and on a concrete floor. She moved her head ever so slightly and had to bite back a wail of pain. It felt as if her brain would burst out at any moment, but she didn't make a noise. Where was she? Why was she there? Slowly images came back to her. Koshi had grabbed her, they fought, but that was about it. A slight wiggle reminded her that she was in an uncomfortable outfit. The dress. She had been getting away from the Doctor. She had been going home to get some things. Next came the images of the Doctor and Reinette so close on the desk. If she thought the pain in her head couldn’t get worse, she was wrong. 

Taking a breath, she realized that she needed to get a grip. But she was so tired. Even blinking was a chore now that she had been awake for a few minutes. But she forced all the images in her head down and focused on where she was. She was laying in near total darkness. The only light came from a partially opened door across the room. She wondered if it was still night. Another wiggle showed her that her arms were tied behind her back and she was bound at the ankles. Now that her body was waking up she could feel everything, and everything hurt. Waves of nausea swept through her, but she dared not vomit. Thankfully her mouth remained un-taped. She stilled and concentrated on breathing. After a few moments, voices could be heard in the other room. 

"Master, did you have to take her? What are we going to go with her?"

"Shut up!" came a very agitated and shrill voice. "I don't know what we're going to do. But she can't testify. Maybe we can convince them she’s druggie. I mean she's from the estates." His words were rushed and clipped. The speed of them alone made them hard to understand.

"What? She takes your blend? I doubt it. Wait, you're not going to kill her, are you?"

Koshi didn't answer, but there was a loud crash as if he had thrown something. 

The other voice sounded again. "Are you sure you're OK? Did you have some of the last batch? I'm not entirely sure that it's as quality as you say it is."

"Why can't you keep your damn mouth shut? The stuff’s fine. I'm fine. I just need to think. Let's go get something to eat."

"What about the girl?"

There were footsteps and Rose quickly closed her eyes again. Koshi's' voice sounded again. "She's still out." With that he slammed the door and Rose heard a deadbolt slide into place. Seconds later her sleep took her again. 

OoOoOo

The next morning the Doctor was in a confirmed funk. Rose hadn't contacted him despite all his attempts to contact her. But he was determined to talk to her today, if she would let him. 

When the lift dinged on his floor he took a deep breath, trying to look as amiable as possible, and the exact opposite of how he felt. 

He was met though, with Jack sitting on his desk chatting with Ianto the security guard. 

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor asked, trying to be casual.

"I don't know Doc, she's late and didn’t text. Maybe she's just late."

The Doctor grunted and went into his office.

Two hours later there still was no sign of Rose and the Doctor was getting worried. So were Jack and Amy. They all knew what happened, yet they all agreed it didn’t sound like Rose to just not come into work. Calls to her cell, even from Jack and Amy, went right to voice mail. 

The Doctor, who had gotten nothing done that morning other than worry about Rose and jump every time the phone rang, was about to rally the troops to go look for her when Reinette ran in. "We have trouble," she said, out of breath.

“Well I have my own trouble. I don't need yours."

"Koshi's gone missing."

"So? That kid's a menace. He's probably passed out at some club or with a mate... or prostitute."

"No...there's more." Reinette began, then stopped. 

The Doctor leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. "Explain."

Reinette took a deep breath and fell into one of the chairs at his long table. "I think I screwed up, John."

He gave her the "c'mon sign" then re-crossed his arms. 

She sighed deeply. "So, Koshi's mother, Sasha, is one of my closest friends. You know, since university. Right after you and I were done last night, she called me to see how things were going. We kind of got caught up in it. I told her some things, and she told me that keeping Koshi out of trouble was going to make us rich, which we already knew. Anyway, she said that he has been erratic lately, staying up all night, then sleeping a lot too, during the days. He got mad the other day and took a swing at his father then ended up pulling a huge television off the wall and slamming it down on the floor. He's paranoid too, all the time. He installed cameras throughout their home. That's in addition of their security system. She says he even has a camera in the pantry."

"Is he using what he was selling?"

"She wouldn’t admit anything, but thinks he is on something. He has used before and never really stopped, but he has never been this bad. "

"Ok, I can tell there's more."

"Yes, while I was talking to her, she walked into the kitchen where Koshi was cooking I guess, but he was making quite a rackey. I could hear the things clanging around. Anyway, Sasha and I got going on winning the case, and I let it slip that there was only one witness that had anything useful to say and that wasn't on drugs."

"You didn't."

"I did, but I was talking to a client."

"You gave her information that wasn't confirmed."

Reinette hung her head. 

"And Koshi heard."

"Yeah he did. He left his food on the stove and bolted out the door. Do you think that he went after the witness?"

"If he was on something and not thinking straight, I wouldn't doubt it. God Reinette, this is bad. You could have screwed this whole thing up for us. This kid is out of control and you just gave him the key to the city."

Suddenly Amy was at the office door. She never interrupted, let alone left her desk. But she came rushing in. 

"Doctor, Rose's mum just called. She didn't come home last night. She tried to call her but there was no answer. She wants to know what you did with her. "

"Wha-" the Doctor started then went pale. He looked up at Amy then Reinette. "Oh Gods. Reinette, call the police. I need that witness's name, alert them she may be in danger."

Reinette swiped open her phone. The Doctor paced as she went through talking to several people before getting the correct DI on the phone. The Doctor was near panic. It all lined up right, but wouldn’t Rose have said something if she was a witness or dealing with the police at all? Maybe not, she didn’t like to talk about things at home. 

Behind him, Reinette was calling the police. He listened as she explained the situation. Then there was a pause as the DI retrieved the proper name. Reinette thanked him, her face dropping as she slowly lowered the phone. "Her name is Rose Ty-" she started. She didn’t even get the rest out before the Doctor had his jacket and ran out the door.   
OoOoOo

The Doctor had run to his car and once in, sat in the driver's seat, but his hand hovered over that ignition button. He had no idea where to start looking for her. Koshi had to have her. He had time. It took about a half hour to get from their office to her flat, maybe longer if she was on a bus. It all added up. He hit his fist on his forehead in frustration. Why had he not looked closer at this case? He may have been able to figure it out. If he had, she would be safe. 

But where would Koshi go? Certainly not home, maybe somewhere where no one could see them. He called Reinette. "I need a complete list of Koshi's family's holdings. Most importantly any buildings, warehouses and the like. Koshi's a spoiled brat and my money is that he is holding her somewhere that his family owns. There is less chance of someone else discovering him."

He rang off with Reinette and started his car. He had to move, he had to do something. He opted to head to the area of her flat. Maybe there was something to use as a clue.

OoOoOo

The only door out of the room Rose was in slammed open and the Master, Koshi stalked in. The now bright light that was streaming in hurt her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but it was morning now. He paced back and forth, his hands in his hair and then in his pockets. His agitation was more than disturbing to Rose, she watched him cautiously. 

Suddenly, mid-step he turned to her. "You!" he accused, "You could have just shut our damn mouth. But you had to talk. Now you're here. My mother says you're weak. But all you have to do is tell them and I go away. I can't go away. This is my world, can't you see. I’m in charge! My father says I have to keep my nose clean, so he can be a politician. I don't give a fuck about my father. I rule! They can all suck my dick. What about you? How about you suck my dick?" He took a menacing step towards her. 

With tremendous effort, Rose pushed herself to sitting and calmly looked at him. "If I was to suck a dick, it certainly wouldn't be the one of a dirty, low life drug dealer who can't get his shit together enough to know not to dip into his own product. Rookie mistake, buddy." She smirked.

Koshi's hand slamming into the side of her face made Rose cry out. "You have a smart mouth! You need to shut it, or I’ll shut it for you. My new barristers say they can get me off and that they can handle you. But I knew that I needed to handle this myself. I’m in charge!" he repeated. 

Rose's head pounded even harder after the blow but there was no way for her to hold her head with her arms behind her back. She could tell he was high and rambling. Maybe she could reel him in. "So, you have barristers?"

He looked at her oddly like he was talking to a child. "Of course. I have the best. I have the Doctor and Reinette Smith. My father pays them very well. I'm not a low life, as you say. I have this city by the balls. My parents think I can do no wrong. And I can do what I want!" He started pacing again, mumbling now and gesticulating in the air like he was still trying to convince someone. 

"Oh, so you're the client with the powerful parents that they keep talking about." Rose was trying to make the link. If she did, maybe he would let her go. 

"You know me? "

"I work for the Doctor. You know. In my current situation, this looks bad for you. The more you do to me, the harder it will be for the Doctor to get you off."

Koshi was back in front of her in a flash. "I don't care, I'm in charge! They bow to me! I'm the most important man in London! People beg for me to go to their parties! They beg for my stuff! They beg for me to teach them! They want to be me!”

He was making no sense, but Rose tried again. "But don'tcha think you should let me go?"

Koshi stopped and looked at her, a sneer sliding into place. "Oh no, you I'm going to do something with. I'm going to discredit you. Who will believe what you say when it comes out that you are a druggie?"

"I'm not a druggie."

“Oh, you will be."

OoOoOo

The Doctor made it to Rose's flat in record time. He was looking for parking when he had a flash of memory. There had been a white van with no windows pulling out as he was pulling in the night before. Had she been in there? His stomach turned at the proximity of it all. He got out his phone and called Jack. 

Jack said that he had just finished with the information on the family's real estate holdings. He had been working with Reinette on it. He took the information the Doctor had on the white van then emailed the addresses he had acquired to the him. The Doctor heard the notification even when he was still talking to Jack. 

Jack also said that there was a "BOLO" or Be On the Look Out for Rose. And now maybe there was a van to add to the information. 

The Doctor next opened the list of places the family owned. There were five listed. Two were currently occupied by busy businesses, a printing company and a paper supply company. The other three were promising. They were all vacant, currently only two of them had power with the third one slated for demolition later in the year. The Doctor took an educated guess the Koshi would like one with power and was in better condition and started off. 

Unfortunately, he was wrong. Two hours and potentially two breaking and entering charges later he came up empty handed. With each passing moment he grew more anxious and desperate. He had been able to hold out hope when he thought he knew where Koshi would be. Now there was one place left, an unlikely on at that, and if they weren't there, he wouldn't know where to look. He was beginning to find out just how big a place London was when he was looking for one small pink and yellow human. 

He turned the corner to examine the last address on his "maybe list” and nearly had a heart attack. In front of the door to this one was parked a white windowless van. He drove by once, taking a picture of the van and its license plate. then he called Jack. Lastly, he parked down the street where he could see the comings and goings from the building. 

After 15 minutes with no activity he got out and started poking around. The windows of the building were all up high and mostly all broken out. Abandoned scaffolding and old machinery was stacked along the side of the building. He approached and without a thought, he started to scale it as quietly as he could. 

It was not an easy as he thought though. First off, the metal was old and groaned as he climbed to the windows. The age of the metal and the rustiness of it caused parts to break off unexpectedly. So not only was his progress slow but it was very precarious. If one thing broke, he could fall and be impaled. Still slowly he made his way up. With a lot of time and more than his fair share of luck, he was able to reach the ledge to peer over the glass shards to see into the building. He only was able to see for a second but that's all it took. There was a blonde spikey haired man opening a door and walking into another room. It was Koshi for sure. He didn’t even have time to register his triumph before the metal he was standing on started to give way. 

The Doctor scrambled for something to hold, anything that would keep him from falling all the way and landing on the twisted metal below. A pole stuck out just to his left and he grabbed on hoping for the best. He got about half of what he wanted. The pole buckled too, but about halfway down. He gave it a little push, just to clear himself from it and landed with a crash in a pile of debris. 

Inside, Koshi heard the noise. He turned and yelled to his counterpart. “Hey, go see what that was! And take your fucking gun.” He boy nodded and grabbed a gun that had been on an empty crate and went out the door. 

"Who's there?" he yelled in the gruffest voice a 16-year-old boy could muster, coming around the corner to the side of the building. 

There was another clatter and a groan but a pile of what looked like garbage began to move. The boy's eyes widened as a man emerged. He was tall and wide, had a cropped haircut and lots of cuts on his face and neck, his clothing looked torn too. His black leather jacket bore more than a few new tears, but his blue eyes shone brightly, and he wore a mask of pure fury. 

The boy stopped in his tracks and weakly held up the gun at the man. "Stop where you are, or I'll shoot."

The Doctor broke into an unkind smile. "So, you’re going to shoot me. Let's see, you're about 15…16? Let’s see, kidnapping, assault, battery, breaking and entering, threatening and intimidating, drug charges, and now murder? Just how long do you want to go away for? "

"Shut up!"

"I will personally see that you go away for a long time. What do you think will happen to you when your bright young face is charged as an adult and end up in prison? Oh, they'll like you. You won't stand a chance."

The boy was visibly shaking now. His eyes were open wide, and he started to glance around. Then, without a word he just dropped the gun and ran away, down the street. 

The Doctor could have chuckled humorlessly at the cowardice, he could have picked up the gun, he could have sat in his car and nursed his wounds, but rather he called Jack, gave the location where he was and headed for the door. 

OoOoOo

When Koshi heard the crash, he knew that they were coming for him. After sending his minion outside, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe loaded with a thick yellow substance. He held it up to the light and shook it a little, nodding. He then turned and headed for where Rose laid. She looked up as he walked in. She shifted carefully, keeping her arms behind her. In the time the Koshi had been otherwise occupied, she had been working on her binding. Her hands were nearly free. She just needed another minute or two with the sharp edge on the wall behind her. 

Koshi hovered over her, breathing heavily. "It seems someone came for you Rose, but it doesn't matter, I've still got you. You won't talk." 

Rose made a frantic move to free herself, lunging at him and pulling with all her might at the ties that bound her. Her arm broke free and she swung, only to have it caught by him. She didn't have time to even utter a cry when Koshi’s needle jammed into the arm he now held, and he pushed down the plunger on the syringe. Rose stared at him with horrified eyes then, a second later she felt as if her heart would explode, it nearly was beating right out of her chest. She brought her now free hands to her head to keep it from cracking open from the pressure. Without warning, she vomited violently, all surrounded by the cackle of Koshi as he still stood over her. 

"Don’t hurt her!" the Doctor bellowed from behind him. Koshi whipped around to find the Doctor at the doorway to the room. Koshi whipped a handgun from his waistband and leveled it at the Doctor. 

"Oh, so it's you Doctor. Don't you worry about Rose here, she's feeling no pain. Well maybe she is, but not for long."

"What did you do to her?" the Doctor ground out, his voice switching from panic to profound anger. 

"I took care of business, Doctor. I'm in charge now. She won't be able to testify now. Now she's on drugs. No one will trust her." Koshi now beamed like a child who had received good marks in school. Yet he still held the gun but was grinning. 

"Now Koshi," the Doctor began, his voice fierce but even, "We need to get Rose to the hospital. I know that you don't want any more trouble, so let’s work on this." His desperation was thinly masked, but he knew that Koshi was not thinking straight. If he pushed too hard, nothing good would happen. 

"No!" Koshi snapped back. "I took care of the problem! We're good now, don't you see Doctor? I'm in control now. "

The Doctor could hear cars pulling up outside. The police must have been close. He rose his hands to show he was unarmed, both for Koshi to see and for the inevitable arrival of the police. In the meantime, he had to do something. Fortunately, he had a talent for the very thing he needed to do. 

"Koshi, I can see that you have this all handled. But don't you think this his enough? I mean, you've taken care of the girl, you've proved to me and your parent's whose boss, I mean don’t you think you've accomplished what you want? "

"No! I have to get out of here! I have things to do!" He shook his head violently. 

"Then just put down the gun and go. I'll take care of the rest of this mess and the girl. You can go."

Koshi seemed to think about this for a moment. He was sweating though, and even from across the room the Doctor could tell that his pupils were blown. He wasn't thinking clearly. Not anywhere near it. The Doctor prompted him. "Hey Koshi, why not go home? I'll see to the girl. You can't do anymore here."

"You'll clean this up for me?" Koshi asked.

"Yes, I will. That's what your parents pay me for."

Koshi wavered. He wasn't steady on his feet. Slowly the gun started to lower. Then from behind the Doctor, came a commanding voice, "Nobody move!" 

The coppers had arrived. The Doctor heard the unmistakable sound of a weapon being cocked. It was just his luck to get an armed patrol. But he still maintained his eyes on Koshi. "Now Koshi, he started, "let’s be careful right now. No one needs to be hurt. These officers only want to help."

Koshi had brought the gun up again. "No! they don't want to help. They want to end this. But they can't! You told me you'd take care of this. Make them leave!”

The Doctor knew this situation was devolving rapidly. "Let's just work on getting the gun down."

Koshi was now shaking harder. He was sweating so hard that it was beginning to drip in his eyes. He used his other hand to wipe his face. "I'm in charge! I'm in charge! You all bow to me!" he bellowed. "Maybe I'll just kill her." He pointed down with his other hand. "I can kill her and then I don't have to worry about her."

Koshi had lost it. He had no logical thought and the Doctor knew it. 

Behind him he could hear more cops coming in. It was now or never. "Koshi! Listen to me! Let me help you, put the gun down." He took a tentative step forward, but as he did, someone must have moved behind him. Koshi's attention shifted to the police.

"NO!" Koshi screamed and his gun went off. The Doctor fell, then more guns went off. Then Koshi fell. 

The Doctor lay on the floor, a searing pain in his right shoulder. He lifted his head and could see the cops all over Koshi. He gathered himself, got to his knees and crawled over to Rose. There was a commotion as Koshi was dragged out, but he made it to Rose first. 

The Doctor took up Rose in his arms as best he could and looked down at her. The realization that she was still in the dress she wore when they were supposed to go out, the night she ran from him, stung more the than the bleeding wound in his shoulder. With his good arm he tried in vain to both cup her face and smooth out her now destroyed dress. There was no rational reason to do it, but he had to. The Doctor's precious Rose laid in his arms and her eyelids fluttered. "Rose? Rose, I'm here. It's me. I’ve got you."

Rose's eyes opened but didn’t focus. She opened her mouth but closed it again. She was also covered with sweat like Koshi and shaking. Then she looked right at him and locked onto him. Her mouth opened again, and she uttered, "Doc-" then her eyes rolled back in her head and she stiffened. Then her whole body started to seize.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what happens when Rose wakes up? FYI, I finished editing the whole story and will post it later this week. I have a Ten and Rose multi-chapter that will start soon. It's also completed but needed a re-work. But now I like it.   
> In this chapter Rose gets to say her piece. Also, I opted to end with a little smut. I'm still relatively new at it... not IT.. but writing smut, but I think it makes sense. I will now remove the foot from my mouth and post this big 'ol chapter for you to enjoy.   
> Thanks for your lovely comments.

Rose woke up a day later, of course she didn't know it was a day later. She woke looking into the teary eyes of her mother, who, turned and shrieked for a nurse. 

"Mum..." Rose mumbled, trying to get her mother to stop yelling. Her head was pounding, and she felt oh, so tired. Just keeping her eyes open was a monumental effort. Everything in her body hurt from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

"Mum, what happened?" she finally managed. 

Jackie was by her side in an instant fussing with her covers. "Oh Rose, you had us so worried. That horrible Koshi fellow, he injected you with whatever he had been selling. You've been out for a whole day! We've been waiting for you, hoping you'd wake up, but the doctors didn't know. Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" She took her daughter's face in her hands and kissed her forehead. 

Rose squirmed under the affection. Then it occurred to her, "We? Who's we?"

"Well me and the Doctor of course. Your Doctor, not the ones treating you. He only just left to do a few things. He said he'd be back."

Rose pushed the button on the bed rail to sit up some. She was a bit dizzy at first, but it felt good to sit. "He's been here throughout?"

"Yes, and we've had some great conversations. He’s a wonderful man, if not a little old."

Rose's eyes wandered around the room. It was a standard hospital room with several machines clustered around the bed. She had an IV pole attached to a pump, oxygen tubing leading to a cannula in her nose, heart monitor and vital sign machine. It was what was on the table that was meant to go over the bed that caught her attention. Beside the hospital issue water canister and cup, there was a large cookie wrapped in cellophane. 

Jackie once again hovered in front of her daughter. "Are you hungry? The Doctor insisted on bringing that giant cookie and leaving it there. I told him you would need real food when you woke up, but he wouldn't listen. 

"No Mum, I'm good. But can I have some water?"

A minute later the nurse came in to assess Rose and talk to her. She filled in the blanks. Rose had been injected with an amphetamine as well as several other substances. It turned out that Koshi had been trying to make his own brand of drug. It caused her to have multiple seizures and be comatose. The doctors initially had been worried that she may have a heart attack, as well as possible kidney of liver failure, but Rose seemed to be on the right track now, but it was very scary for a while. 

Rose soaked it all in. After she was assessed, the nurse took out her urinary catheter and allowed her to sit up some more. She would only be able to get up to the bathroom with assistance. She also allowed her to drink some water and when that stayed down, they brought in a few crackers for her to eat. Rose devoured those in an instant, prompting the nurse to then order her a simple meal. Lastly, she was told that getting back on her feet after such an insult to her system would take days if not weeks. 

Rose took in all the information soberly. This had all started... when? A day ago? What had started it? She knew what happened as far as the drugs but how it all came to be was foggy at best. Slowly in talking things over with her mother, the memories started to creep in. She had been grabbed in the stairwell. She felt her face. On her left side it was swollen and if the pain was any indication, bruised. Koshi had hit her. But there was something else. She remembered being sad. Then all at once it all came back. She was supposed to go out with the Doctor, he had promised. She was all dressed up, then she had seen the Doctor sitting on the desk, Reinette between his legs with her arms draped on her shoulders. He was grinning. She left, she had had to get out of there. That's when she got taken.

"Rose, honey, why are you crying?" Her mother's voice rang through her memories. 

"It's just, I'm sad and tired Mum. I need to sleep."

"OK honey. You just sleep." Jackie tucked her daughter in again and lowered the head of the bed. 

The painful images that flooded Rose's head did nothing for her headache. In fact, they made her hurt all over just that much worse. Now on top of the physical pain, there was a truckload of emotional pain sitting on top. The last thing Rose remembered before she drifted back to sleep was her promise to herself she needed to end things with the Doctor. Her professional and romantic relationships were over with him forever. 

OoOoOo

Rose woke briefly in the middle of the night feeling cold. She reached for the blanket only to have her hand met by a bigger one that pulled the blanket to her chin. Even in the relative darkness she could see bright blue eyes looking down at her, but her exhaustion took over and she was too tired to react, and quickly drifted back to sleep.

In the morning Rose stirred. Her head still hurt, but lesser so. Her body ached too, but also it was more tolerable. She heard someone move next to her and opened her eyes expecting to see her mother. But she was met by someone quite different. 

The Doctor stood up next to her bed and smiled. Rose looked him over. He looked terrible. Not only did he have dark circles under his eyes, but his face was cut and bruised. He wasn’t wearing his leather jacket and she could see that his right arm was in a sling. He was currently reaching adjusting her covers with the left one. 

"Rose? Are you with me?" he asked quietly and smiling softly.

Rose sighed. Before even the thought solidified in her head, she uttered, "I quit."

He stood next to her, confused then relaxed, as if talking to someone who wasn’t quite aware. "What are you talking about? Just give yourself a second. We’re in the hospital. That bastard Koshi dosed you, you've been out-"

Rose held up a hand and cut him off, voice now stronger, "I know what I'm saying. I quit. I quit the internship, I quit us, I'm done. Done with everything. Can you please go?"

Her directness took the Doctor aback. But he looked down at her and her eyes were bright and focused, and her face was set. She was there with him mentally and telling him to leave. Under his gaze she looked away. 

"Rose, hold on a minute."

"No." Rose turned back to him, anger lighting up her face. "I'm done. I can't do this anymore. I can't get my hopes up just to have Reinette waltz in and toss everything out. You are her puppet and I can't be in a relationship, work or otherwise, with someone who doesn’t have the integrity to fight to have his staff or girlfriend at his side. You just throw me under a bus every time she shows up. That isn't the basis for a relationship. Nor can I work like that. You need to go now. I need to rest." 

Her last words his him in the chest much like Koshi's bullet had his shoulder. He stood there stunned. He needed to say something, but there was nothing to say. He was the man that always had a comeback, always had an argument, but for once he didn't. Rose had done in less than a minute what no barrister had ever been able to do. She shut him up. 

The Doctor never took his eyes off her as he reached for his jacket and swung it over his shoulders. He then put his good arm though the sleeve. He wanted to say something, anything, to calm her or try to persuade her, but this mind was blank. He stood in front of this precious being, someone who had gone through too much for her years staring at him. She was beautiful even after all she had been through. And she hated him. 

The Doctor opened his mouth one more time and closed it. He nodded at her and headed for the door. As he passed through the threshold he turned again. "I hope you find what you are looking for Rose Tyler. I hope you have a fantastic life. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. I only wish I could have given you what you needed. I'm sorry for that." With that he turned and left. 

Rose waited for him to be completely gone before she reached out and pushed the cookie on the bedside table into the trash then began to cry into her pillow.   
OoOoOo

Rose stayed in the hospital a few more days. Once her bloodwork came back normal she was able to go home to rest. Jack and Amy visited her while she was still in. They brought tales of an incredibly grumpy boss and loud fights between Reinette and the Doctor. In fact, the reason they both came together was that the fighting got too loud and they left. They supported Rose though. Jack even offered to put in a good word at some other firms for her when she was ready to work again. Amy fussed over Rose, helping her wash her hair then plaiting it for her. They also smuggled in chips from the outside world. Neither of them tried to persuade her to come back though. Even without talking about it, they knew. 

Once home, Rose allowed herself to heal. She took the time to prepare the paperwork that needed done for the internship so far. She was able to email Jack and he filled out what he needed to and sent it back. He even took care of the things the Doctor needed to do. The hardest part was seeing the newly inked signature on the evaluation of her work drafted by the Doctor. It came by courier along with her other paperwork. The letter stated that she was an excellent worker and an asset to his firm and he was sad to see her go. Rose read it twice. She didn't know what she wanted to see in it but seeing his handwriting at the end was painful. It's not like she didn't know it was over, she had ended it herself, but now it had finality. 

She had an appointment that next week to turn in what she had, in the mean time she had emailed her hours and stuff to her counselor at school. Once she turned in the evaluation and the signed proof of hours along with various other papers and such from the Doctor she could seek a new firm to finish up. She wondered why the evaluation had come to her instead of being sent to the school directly. Maybe it was the Doctor’s way of saying goodbye. 

OoOooo

Slowly Rose had been getting back on her feet. She had been on little excursions here and there, including one to her school to drop off her paperwork. She was much stronger now with only occasional headaches. 

On her fifth day home Rose got a call. She had been going a little stir-crazy and had cleaned he flat three times already. The display said it was from her school.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rose, this is Oliver Houser from The Paralegal Academy. I was going over your records for your time at Smith and Smith. "

"Is there something wrong?"

“No, far from it. You did an excellent job there. I read your evaluation from Mr. Smith. I don’t know that I have ever seen a better one, from anyone. And there was something else.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, it came by courier just this afternoon. It was a separate letter of recommendation from Mr. Smith. It seems he wrote it himself.”

“OK…”

"It basically said that you hung the moon. It talked about your attributes and hard work, but it also said that anyone who didn't hire you was an idiot. It's honestly the best letter of recommendation I've ever seen... I mean ever. I know you had issues there, but that man loves you... ha ha... I mean your work. Are you sure you want to leave?”

Rose cringed. Without knowing it, Mr. Houser had triggered a raft of painful memories. 

“I’m sure. I wasn’t a good fit there. I need to be reassigned.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then Mr. Houser spoke. “OK… well everything is in order. You put in a lot of hours in your three weeks there. That looks great. I only need one thing from Mr. Smith, that’s a letter stating that he is aware that you are dissolving your internship with him. It’s just a technicality. At that point you’re clear. Now that you have stated your desire to end it, I’ll contact his office for the final letter. I always want to talk to students first. But I’m sure they’ll get it to me in a day or so after notification. It’s just a one-line letter. They can email it. So, basically you’re free to start looking for another internship.” 

Rose rubbed her face and sat down on the couch. This was a lot to process.

Mr. Houser was still talking. "...I'll be in touch with our placement people today and see who's looking fill a spot.”

Rose finished the call and laid down. She was done. What she didn't need to hear was about the letter. Of course, he would do that for her. She only wished he had his head on straight. They could have had something. But not as long as Reinette was holding the reigns. As much as it hurt, she was proud of herself for ending it before it pulled her into something she couldn't get out of. 

OoOoOo

A few more days passed, and Rose started to feel like herself again. The trauma of being taken and her last exchange with the Doctor still hurt, but she could function. She imagined that those would take longer than her body to heal. But her bad thoughts were beginning to be taken over by healthier ones. She even took to studying for hours at a time to ready herself for whatever internship she might get. She had interviews looming too. So far, she had four scheduled for the next two weeks. She wondered if the Doctor’s letter had anything to do with that. 

It was Friday night and she ordered a pizza to be delivered and prepared to watch a movie with her Mum when her mum emerged from her bedroom fully made up and dressed. 

"Mum, I thought you were staying in tonight. I ordered pizza."

Jackie shook her head. "That was my plan until Diane called. Her bloke has a friend in town. He’s a dentist. I have to go! You could come too if you want!"

Rose looked down at herself. She hadn't showered that day, her hair was disheveled from her afternoon nap and she wore old baggy sweat pants and a vest top. "Do you suppose anyone would notice if I went like this?"

"Very funny. Well I'll be out late, don't wait up.”

With that, hurricane Jackie was gone. 

Rose flopped back on the couch and began her movie. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. She paused it, grumbling because she had just gotten to the good part, grabbed the cash she had on the table and opened the door ready to pay the delivery man. 

But the man that was there was decidedly not from the pizza place. The Doctor stood there, staring at her. He was dressed in a suit and tie like he had just maybe come from court. He still had a sling on his right arm, but it was different from when she saw him last. This sling was quite elaborate and printed with the name of an orthopedic practice. She eyed him for a few moments not saying anything. 

 

His face was soft, and he wore a slight smile. He just let her look him over before speaking. "Hello," he said simply. 

Rose didn't answer. At that exact moment though, the pizza delivery man showed up. Before she could do anything, the Doctor whipped out his wallet and handed a stack of cash to the man, who swiftly retreated.

Now holding the pizza in one hand the Doctor held it out to her. For the first time since she opened the door Rose moved. She accepted the pizza with a nod. "I could have paid." was her answer.

"Nope, I owed you dinner, remember?"

Rose frowned, her eyes flashing angry.

The Doctor immediately saw the error in his judgement. "Rose, I'm sorry, actually for a lot of things. Starting with everything you saw. You need to know though, that nothing was happening. As you know I get a little excited when something goes my way. I had just gotten good news. But I know what it must have looked like. And the good news turned out to be not good. It was about you. Then everything quickly went to hell."

"Hell is a good way to put it,” Rose answered frankly.

"But nothing happened. I went after you, but you were gone. I came here-"

"But I had already been taken."

"I thought that maybe you didn't go home, we didn't know you were missing until the next morning when your mother called. Oh God, Rose I screwed this up badly. It kills me that he did that to you. All that happened. I should have seen the signs. He was insane."

Rose still stood in the doorway. "Well thank you for all that, and the pizza. And thank you for finding me. My mum told me all about it.” She stopped for a moment and blinked. “As for the rest of it, you are absolved of everything. No hard feelings. Also, thank you also for your kind words in the recommendation. Now if you don't mind, I'll have my dinner. Thanks for stopping over." She stepped back and went to close the door. The absoluteness in her voice was staggering. 

The Doctor panicked. He lunged forward, putting his hand on the door. "Wait, please. I just want to talk to you. All I ask is five minutes of your time. No pressure though."

Rose stopped and eyed him again. "Fine. Five minutes."

She went in the flat and dropped the pizza down onto the coffee table in front of the couch. She then sat down and opened the box, taking out a piece and starting to eat it, her eyes on him. 

The Doctor came in and closed the door behind him. He then hovered next to the couch, not sure what to do or say. Again, she had managed to make the most talented barrister in London slam on the brakes. 

He stood there uncomfortably for a few moments before he started "So first of all, I'm sure you know, but Koshi is dead."

Rose nodded.

"He was shot by the police but got a shot off first. That got me." He took his left hand and patted the front of this right shoulder.

Rose raised her eyebrows. It never had occurred to her that his injury came from that. "So that came from him shooting you?" she asked despite herself. 

"Yeah. I had surgery the day after you… told me to leave. It was a through and through shot, but I had to wait for the swelling to go down before they fixed it. "

"Oh." Rose took another bite, feigning indifference, but if the Doctor had learned anything in their three weeks together was how to read her. As she sat in front of him. There was no question how uncomfortable she was. 

He shifted a little closer to her, leaning on the couch she sat on. "So, are you better?"

She shifted in her seat. "Yeah I think. Still tired."

"Justifiably so." He shifted again closer. The overall awkwardness of the situation was weighing heavily on them both.

Finally, the Doctor sighed. He came around in front of her and pushed the table to the side. Then he then got on his knees before her. His left hand settled on his thigh as he sat back on his feet. At this level he looked directly into her eyes. Surprisingly, she looked back at him rather than away. 

"Rose, I need to explain a few things. So much has happened. I want you to know just how sorry I am. I hadn't gotten into the case much, so I didn't figure what Koshi was capable of. I also didn’t know that you were a witness until too late. I didn’t have all the facts, but I should have. I messed up. This never should have happened. I was blinded by... I don't know what. But I should have seen this coming. I didn't, and you got hurt. That kills me."

"You were blinded by Reinette." Rose countered. "She came in offering huge amounts of money and a challenging case. You didn’t think of the details like how psycho your client was. Reinette took over, and you can't say no to her. I see that now. That's why I quit." Rose hadn't injected any emotion into her statement. It was more like a fact than anything else. 

The Doctor nodded. He knew she was right. He rocked forward and back again to his heels. He ran his hand over his head. "You're right. I was a slave to her. Saying no to her was nearly impossible. But you need to know that I did,"

"What?" Rose asked. 

"I said no to her. A lot."

"OK..." Her eyes were a little wider, but she took another bite of pizza. 

"And the reason I came over tonight was to tell you that I'm out."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Rose stopped eating.

"I spent a lot of time after you quit thinking about everything. How I acted with Reinette, how she could rip my heart out but then still get me to do whatever she liked. She would also swoop whenever she wanted and screw things up. So, I told her."

"Jack said there had been a lot of fighting."

"They didn't even hear the half of it." He looked up at her with sorrowful eyes. "Rose, I dissolved my half of the practice. Smith and Smith is no more. I'll finish my active cases, but I'm done, moved out and everything."

"Jack didn't tell me that."

"Because I threatened him and Amy within an inch of their lives. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Why?"

"Because in the short time you have been with us, you have become a member of our team," he took a big breath. "I've opened a new practice. I have hired a receptionist, one paralegal and ultimately would like one more. But I’d be happy to start with an intern. I'd like to have you, Rose. If you'll have me."

Rose set down her pizza and curled her legs underneath her. "I don't know Doctor, that's a lot to process. I quit for a reason. Well several."

"And I know that. But I'm hoping you will give me a chance. "

"I'm going to have to think about it."

"I understand." He pulled two envelopes from his inner jacket pocket and held them out to her. One was white in color and one was light blue. “These are for you. One of them, the blue one, is a letter stating that your internship with me is over and you are clear to start another one. The one in the white envelope is an invitation for you to join my practice for the duration of your internship. At that point we will evaluate if we want to hire you. But I have it on good authority that we will.” He now grinned widely at her. “You get to choose which one you turn into your school. If you want to join me, you are more than welcome, but if you still want to part ways, I’ll respect that too.”

Rose didn’t answer. He couldn’t read her expression, but it looked at least like she was processing what he said. Next, he fished out a small card from another pocket. "This is my new card with our new address. We're moving in and getting settled for a few more days. You can drop by any time or call or email or text I guess. But I'd love to talk more about this, and to you in general." He stood up laying the two envelopes and the card on the coffee table. "Just know that you were the best thing that's come along in a really long time for me. I don't want to lose you, but if I do, I know it was for my own stupidity. Think about it, will you?"

Rose nodded, the weight of his words still hanging heavily above her head. The Doctor smiled weakly at her and turned to go. Rose spoke up behind him. "Do you want any pizza? I mean you bought it and everything." Maybe she was still processing, but for some reason she wasn’t quite ready for him to go. 

Now the Doctor smiled bigger. "No, you enjoy it. But I promise you that if you do decide you can tolerate me there will be a lot of dinners in our future." With that he headed out the door, looking back once more to give a little wave, then closed it behind him. 

Rose sat back on the couch and sighed heavily. He was trying, but was he sincere? Was he really willing to give up everything to start new? She knew that some clients would follow him, but not everyone. He was going from having a big firm to a little one. There had to be a huge financial loss involved. He had come over to ask her specifically to finish out her internship. That, in and of itself was interesting. She no doubt would still be in the best learning situation of anyone in her school. But again, being with him wasn’t good for her. Not if he was unwilling to change. 

And what about them? Did she have it in her to work next to him? There was no doubt that his new practice would flourish. It may take some time, but he had a great reputation and it wouldn't take long for people to find him. Rose grabbed for another piece of pizza and leaned back. This would take some thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, here it is, the final chapter. There is a teeny little epilogue at the very end. Thank you for all your support in this process. I have a few more things I'm working on presently, so I'll be back in your inboxes soon. 
> 
> Caution, there is smut ahead. Not too bad, but I really thought that they would go there. So they did. 
> 
> Thanks again, I'll be back soon.

Two days later, on a Friday, Rose opened the door to a small office. The door said "Smith Law Firm" in simple black letters. The first room she entered was a reception area. There were two couches and a desk at the end. The desk was situated with high counters all around to give some element of privacy. The desk itself was covered in a plastic tarp. The smell of fresh paint permeated the whole area. There were voices coming through a door to the right of the desk.

Rose went through that door and stopped. It was another office. On either side of it were two desks, she recognized them as transplants from the old office. Along the back wall stood Jack and the Doctor, trying to hang a large picture on the wall. Amy was standing behind them supervising. 

The Doctor, having only the use of one arm, was lifting with his left and yelling at Jack to hurry up and attach his side. Then they both stepped back and admired their work. 

"It's crooked," Rose proclaimed from behind them. All three whirled around. Amy was first with a hug, but Jack was there right after, picking her up and turning her around. 

"Rose! I missed you!" Jack proclaimed, setting Rose down. "Our office got exactly 50% less hot when you left."

"Hey!" the Doctor and Amy said in unison.

"Nice setup you've got here." Rose said, looking around but not advancing farther into the room. 

The Doctor stepped forward and for the first time Rose got a good look at him. He wore a simple white t-shirt, that was quite dirty, and plain blue jeans. His arm was still in the massive sling, being held away from his body by a sizable block. He looked good, though, content. He smiled shyly at her. "I'm glad you came; would you like to step into my office?” He indicated another room behind him.

It hadn't occurred to Rose that there was more to this place. The room she was in now had two desks and a couple of more chairs. Then it struck her that the second desk was meant for her. 

The Doctor led her into his office. Inside the smell of fresh paint was even stronger. The walls were painted gray with dark wood highlights around. His desk, the same one from the other office, was covered, but he turned around to face her and leaned against it. 

"What do you think?" he asked.

"It looks great in here. Just like a law office I suppose."

"Well then we're doing our jobs."

Rose took a few steps in farther and took it all in. "Why are you all doing the work? I'm surprised you didn't hire someone for the job."

"When... we... " he started, now examining his shoes. "When we started a long time ago, we had to put it all together ourselves. But it made it ours. It was easier to have ownership of something if you put work into it yourself. That was our practice, it had our blood sweat and tears in it. Years later, when we moved, it was hard to leave. But Rein... she said that we needed a bigger space, and so we got one."

Rose watched him squirm, and when he looked back to her, met him with a smile. "You can say her name. It's not like she didn't exist."

He took a breath. "But I want you to be comfortable.” 

Rose laughed. "I am comfortable. We can't ignore that she was part of your past. I just hope she remains there."

The Doctor pushed off the desk and stood before her. "She's out. I told her that we were through. Oh, she has persisted, but so have I. She's not happy but has finally backed off."

Rose smiled brighter. "So, you divorced her a second time?" 

He barked out a laugh. "I guess so. But this one wasn't as traumatic. But thinking about it, she still got the better end of the deal. She got the practice. But I'm not worried. We're going to be fine. Already people are calling. I bought the office next to this one too. I'm renting it out right now, but we can expand if needed. I'm hoping that we will flourish especially with Jack, Amy.... and maybe you?" 

Rose blushed under his stare. "That's what I came to talk to you about."

The Doctor stepped back and leaned on his desk again. "You’re telling me to shove off, aren't you?"

Rose reached into the back pocket of her jeans. “I have something for you, Doctor.”

He raised his eyebrows. He heard the crinkle of something made of paper. 

Rose stepped up to him with her hand still behind her. Slowly she brought her hand around to her front and held out a blue envelope to him. It was the same one he gave her. The one with the letter in it that dissolved the internship. His face fell. He reached out for it and took it solemnly. “I understand,” was all he said. 

“I don’t think you do,” she countered.

“You’re going to have to catch me up.”

“That is the envelope that you think it is, but remember I had to turn one in. This is the one that was left over.”

It slowly dawned on the Doctor, and as it did, his face lightened. A smile broke. “You mean you’re staying with us?”

“I mean I’m finishing my internship with you.”

"Then what?”

“We reevaluate.”

“That sounds fair."

"I thought about it a lot. "

"I can tell. But I think you should know something."

"What?"

"I have no intention of ever letting you go. Not after you’re done with school, not ever."

Rose smiled. "Let's just see what happens, OK?" We should have a pretty good idea of how it will be by then.”

“Agreed.” He stood again and stepped closer to her, though not touching. “One more question.” 

“What could that be?”

"What about us? You and me, do you have a plan for that too?"

Rose gave him a sly grin. "That remains to be seen. I think we should cool it for the two and a half months I have left too. I'm not saying no, I'm saying I need some time to see you again for what you are."

He wiped his face. “Rose, you know where I stand. Even with everything that happened, I never stopped wanting to be with you. As far as I am concerned, you and I were still a thing, all she did was distract me. But I never liked you any less or her any more. You and she are two completely different entities. I just don’t see why we have to wait."

"You may have seen no changes in our status, but I did. Now I have some things to get over. Whether you intended on them happening or not, they did. I can’t unsee what I saw. It hurt a lot. That will take time. If you want it to happen it will, just after the correct time.” 

“Just so you know, I don’t have now, nor have I for a long while, feelings for her. It was more the excitement of the moment that made me react, not the person who was supplying it. But I understand where you are coming from.”   
“Thank you, Doctor. It’s also good to hear you say those things.”

“But,” he shook his head, "can I have a counter offer?"

"Like?"

"One month. Give me one month. During which you work here, and we will work together. But no romance. However, I do reserve the right to take you to lunch or order food if necessary. I also may drive you home if it is a safety or a late-night issue.”

Rose thought about it for a moment. He was still hovering inches from her. "OK, six weeks, rather. And no tricks. You let me get to know you as a friend and boss.”

"Six weeks from when you start back, or right now?"

"Blimey Doctor, you want to get that technical?" He nodded eyed boring into hers. "Ok then, from tomorrow. It will be a Saturday. Will that work?" He nodded again.

Rose stuck out her hand for a shake. The Doctor looked at her sheepishly. "I can't shake yet. medical doctor’s orders."

Without pause, Rose pulled him into a hug. "Then we'll hug it out." Having the sling in between them was awkward but they held tight the best they could. The Doctor melted under her touch and breathed her in. He whispered in her ear. "Six whole weeks? I’m not sure I can wait that long."

"You will. "

They parted, his good hand still on her arm. 

Rose looked down at it then back to him. "I never thanked you for coming to save me. Who knows what would have happened. I'm also sorry you got hurt."

He smiled. "I wouldn’t have it any other way. "

"I heard a massive crash outside before he drugged me. Was that you?"

"Yup, I overestimated the structural integrity of the junk on the side of the building."

"Yeah he came in and said that someone was coming for me. "

"Wait, he heard the crash THEN drugged you???" The Doctor was having trouble controlling his volume. 

"Yes," Rose answered slowly. Carefully watching him. 

The Doctor let go of her and turned around. He paced for a few seconds. "I caused that. Had I not fallen, you would have been fine. Instead I had to get in there and fuck it all up." He turned to her suddenly. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea. I'm so sorry,” he repeated, positively bereft, facing away from her. 

It took Rose a moment, but then she was on him, her hand on his back. "This had nothing to do with you. He said he was going to do it, he just chose to do it then. Please don't think that you caused it. He was crazed. If he hadn't done it then, he would have done it later. It's not your fault."

The Doctor turned to her, his face now showing confusion. "How can you say that? I went in like the bloody cavalry, but I had no plan, no backup. I could have gotten you killed. "

"But you saved me."

"You could have died."

"I didn't. Koshi did. You saved my life. I'll never forget that."

The Doctor grabbed her again with his left hand and held her at arm's length, examining her. "I don’t get you, Rose Tyler. All this horrible stuff, me being an absolute asshole, yet you stand here telling me it's alright. How is this happening?"

Rose took a second to answer. "It's called balance. Yes, you were an asshole when we met. But then I spent time with you; and I could see who you really were. It's not like this is a one-sided thing. You have given too. You came to save me. Anyone else would have left it up to the police. But you risked your life for me, you took a bullet."

"I'd take a hundred bullets for you if I could Rose Tyler." His eyes had turned soft. 

Rose smiled again and moved to him, resting her head on his chest. 

She heard the rumble of the Doctor's laugher. "I can't imagine you'd want to stay there, Rose, I'm sweaty and dirty."

"I don't care. " She wrapped her arms around him. 

"Are you sure that it has to be six weeks?"

"Positive." 

"Ok then, if you stay there I won't be able to keep my end of the bargain."

Rose lightly pushed off. "Well then, there's clearly work to be done around here. Where should I start?"

"You can start to set up your desk," he countered, grinning widely.

OoOoOo

On the Saturday at the end of the 6 weeks, Rose was up early. She was aware of the date, but business had gotten busy and it wasn't mentioned for at least two weeks, other than the Doctor complaining periodically, which he had done throughout. But lately they had been busier with court dates and new clients. She actually hadn’t seen the Doctor for the last two days, as he had been out of town on an urgent business trip to Wales. He had been working until late at night with a difficult client and hadn’t even called.

Over the last six weeks Rose had learned a lot both about law and about the Doctor. He had kept his word, no romance, but they certainly had grown closer. There were lunches in, meals with clients, then rides home. He even came to another trivia night, which they won again, but all the while kept a respectable distance. It wasn’t like Rose had a bubble around her, but he resisted holding her hand and the like. But a few things changed for the better. For one thing, they talked, a lot. There was a little square about a block from their office that they found very much by accident. There was also a little sandwich shop very close to it, frequently they would get lunch and walk to the square to eat. Sometimes Jack and Amy joined them, sometimes they didn’t. 

Rose likened what they were doing to an old-fashioned courtship. Whatever it was, it was working. Every day they grew closer. Rose found herself being exposed to his thoughts and feelings as well as hearing about his childhood. On the other hand, he also learned about Rose. They laughed about stories of her growing up, and he heard about the passing of her father. In their time together, they also found out that they admired similar attributes in people and disliked many of the same also. 

Jack started to joke about them being able to read each other’s minds. What was really happening was that they were learning how each other thought. That came in very handy with clients. When things were beginning to go south, and the Doctor was struggling with someone, Rose could see that and sometimes jump in and offer another angle, saving the situation. The Doctor was still going to be himself, argumentative and strong, but the girl next to him found a way to soften the edges to get better customer satisfaction. In the little time that they had the new office open, things already started to thrive. 

At first in the forced separation Rose was sure to dampen any feelings for him. That lasted about two weeks. It then became increasingly hard to not just let him back in. It became evident quickly that he had meant what he said about removing Reinette from his life. When Reinette called or needed something, Jack took care of it. And if she needed to meet about anything, they met at their office, the Doctor insisting on being on his own turf. The message was clear to her, he would not allow her to have any affect on him, and it made Reinette very mad. But when she could not get the Doctor bend to her will, she stopped fighting as much, except for the fact that she always had an evil sneer for Rose. Then she and Jack would have a good giggle about it after she left. 

Without conscious thought, when she was with him, Rose’s eyes frequently landed on the Doctor. What amazed her was that even when he was not trying to look good, he did. She would see him at his desk, working on something, typing away or on the phone, arguing with someone, and he just looked good. His commanding presence coupled with the intelligence and passion made him a sight to see. Then there were the softer things, things he didn’t even notice he did, like moving her coat on the coatrack when he came in from the rain, so he wouldn’t get hers more wet. He also did little things like make tea for her if he was making it for himself, making it just how she liked it. All in all, it made him nice to be around. He still had “Doctor moments” of sparring with Jack, or another barrister, and those would never change but Rose also knew those where what made him the man he was. 

Rose had gotten up that morning, pulled on soft jeans and a t-shirt, made coffee and settled on the couch with a bowl of cereal when there was a knock at the door. 

She grumbled, but got up, opened the door, only to find the Doctor, standing there holding a gigantic bouquet of roses. Well technically she had to guess it was him, he held it in front of his face. It nearly filled the doorway. 

Rose laughed out loud. "Hello there," she said, "What exactly are you doing?"

He peeked around the flowers at her, wearing a bright smile. "I'm here because our six weeks is up. I'm here for you, Rose Tyler, and if you make me wait another second I may explode."

Rose ushered him in. He was casually dressed, wearing his black jeans and a soft red jumper. Earlier that last week he had been able to shed the sling for his shoulder. Though he was still going to physio to help get movement back. She took the roses to the kitchen and returned. He hadn't moved from his spot inside the door. 

He stood there trying to read her. “Please Rose, tell me that my prison sentence is over. Have you had enough time? "

Rose schooled her features. "Well, it's been a good six weeks. And you have stuck to your word. I know you have to deal with her on occasion, but I'm glad you have stuck to your guns."

The Doctor's face flashed happiness, but only for a second. A mask of disappointment quickly descended. "Wait. What are you saying? Are we…"

Rose put her head down but was unable to hide her gleaming smile. Her head popped up and she met his eyes, only to rush forward and take him into a hug. He countered, holding himself to her tightly. 

"Oh, I'm so glad. Every second of this time has been torture,” he said, leaning over and dropping a kiss on her hair. She lifted her head and met him with a kiss on his lips. At first they were careful, hesitant even. But soon they each melted into the other. Tongues explored, and hands wandered. It was pure bliss for them both. All their pent-up lust since they had been separated months before came rushing to the surface. As they heated up, they moved to the couch and continued, only stopping to breathe. 

The Doctor broke free after a few minutes and held her at arm’s length. “You are so beautiful.”

“Hardly, it’s first thing in the morning on a Saturday. You’re lucky I’m even dressed.”

“Oh, I would be lucky if you were undressed,” he countered. 

Rose blushed furiously. 

The Doctor leaned forward to lay a gentle kiss on her neck. He pulled her closer still as he doubled his efforts, laying kisses all along her collar bone. Slowly his hand slid up her side until it stopped just below her breast. As if giving wordless approval, Rose slumped ever so slightly, landing her breast in his hand. He moved quickly then cupping her and bringing his thumb over the pert nipple that he felt even through her clothing. Rose groaned lightly. The Doctor started grazing his thumb it back and forth. Rose sat up taller and leaned into him, now landing kisses on his jaw moving towards his ear. When she got there, she sucked his earlobe into her mouth and it was his turn to groan. 

“Rose,” he panted “is this happening? Are you OK with his? You’re in charge, we’re only going as far as you want.”

“I want. Let’s just see what happens.”

He growled and pulled her closer for a second then moved so that now both his hands could work her breasts. 

“Too many clothes,” she mumbled. 

“Agreed.”

Together they each leaned back and removed their shirts. The Doctor freezing at the sight of her. “Oh, Gods Rose, you are incredible.”

Rose blushed again and reached back to remove he bra. 

“Here, let me,” he said, leaning close. He brought his hand around behind her and flicked his fingers, the bra fell immediately.

“Wow, that’s quite a skill,” she giggled.

“Everyone has a talent,” he countered. 

“Oh, I bet you have several talents.”

“You’re about to see them.” He gently stood and went to scoop her up, then grimaced. “Dammit, sorry, I’m not quite healed enough for chivalry.”

“No problem.” Rose got to her feet and stood in front of him. She reached out and tucked her fingers into his waistband, pulling him toward her room. “C’mon,” she whispered.

He followed like he was in a trance. He would have gone anywhere at that moment with this girl. “Rose, what about your mum?”

“Not home until tomorrow.” She winked at him leading him through the doorway. 

The Doctor spun her around, locking his lips to hers. He furiously kissed her, and she joined, tongues battling for position, all while walking back. Soon her legs hit her bed. They stopped, the Doctor breaking the kiss, but only to pull at her jeans. Rose helped be wiggling her hips in a way that made his breath quicken. Her jeans and panties soon hit the floor. Then, before she could start on his pants, he laid her down on the bed. He then helped her scoot up to the pillow.

He stood tall again next to the bed, taking her in. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he uttered.

“Believe it,” she answered, reaching out and stroking him through his jeans. 

The threw his head back and practically dove onto her bed peppering her with kisses along the way. He stopped though, just before he got to her head, to take her nipple into his mouth. Rose arched up and hissed. He used his hand now to take her other breast and massage it softly. Rose was writhing under him, groping him as best she could. 

His hand didn’t last long on her breast, instead trailing down her body in search of her warm wetness. He eased his hand over her soft curls and gently parted her, plunging a finger deep inside.   
Rose nearly came off the bed, which would have landed them on the floor, but he held her tight. Carefully he massaged her, adding another finger, moving with the writhing of her body. He sucked her nipple, varying from soft to harder, just taking in all her reactions. 

His thumb found it’s way to her center of pleasure and Rose screamed out. Now with new vigor, she reached between them and began to work at his belt. It was no small feat, as he had begun rutting up against her leg in want of friction. 

“Doctor,” she gasped, “take your trousers down.” He stilled his ministrations for a moment, only to roll back and hastily push them off. He still wore boxer briefs, which Rose promptly dipped both hands into to release him. 

Now he stood out proudly before her and she couldn’t help but reach out and begin to pump him. The girth was unlike anything she had ever felt before. “You have to stop,” he ground out, “or I’ll be done before we start.”

“We might have to be, Doctor, I don’t have any condoms.”

With that, the Doctor, rolled away, snagging his trousers off the floor and frantically searching the pockets. After a moment he triumphantly held up a little foil packet.

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. “Thinking you were going to get lucky?”

“Hoping,” he countered, tearing into the package, while laying again beside her. He went to put it on, but Rose stopped him. She sat up on the bed and took it from him. She hovered over him, now on his back, and smiled. Before he could stop her, she lowered her head and took him in her mouth. The Doctor bucked up, all at once chasing her mouth and hoping not to hurt her. But she recovered, taking hold of the base of his cock and working him up and down. 

“I can’t… last like this,” he said, guiding her head off him. Rose grinned down at him, went in and put a quick kiss on the head, then went about unrolling the condom. 

The very second she was done, he rolled onto her, kissing her soundly again. Then he broke free, his hands on her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I want this to last forever, but right now I need you.”

“Me too, I need you, please.” 

He moved away and knelt at her hips, lifting her legs to his shoulders then guiding her pelvis to meet him. Then slowly he advanced, moving the tip of his cock up and down her entrance, both of them groaning at the sensation. He entered her, but incrementally, letting her adjust. Every inch led to more mewling on her part, only spurring him on more. 

Only when he was fully enveloped in her did he dare move. One push, then two, before he knew it he was setting up a rhythm. He lowered her legs and laid on her again, alternately sucking a nipple and kissing her. She matched him, thrust for thrust, both of them grasping, kissing, and holding as he sped up. Rose’s hands came to rest on his arse and she squeezed. The Doctor shouted out and thrust even harder. 

“Please, Doctor, touch me!” Rose squealed, and he snaked his hand between them, massaging her clit as she held onto him. “I’m gonna-” she started, just as he yelled out his release. She followed a half second later. 

Together they slowed, him gently caressing her body, and laying soft kisses all over, giggling when he found a sensitive spot. Then he rested on her, careful not to put all his weight on her. 

“I must be getting heavy,” he whispered, his head pillowed on her chest. 

“Not hardly,” she answered. 

Despite wanting to stay there all day, he carefully pulled out and removed the condom, tossing it in a bin by the bed. He then laid next to her, they were both still breathing hard. “My Gods Rose, that was fantastic,” he said, laying a kiss to the side of her breast. 

“It was,” she agreed, “can we just stay here forever?”

“Mhhh,” was all he said. 

Then suddenly the Doctor sat back. "You need to get dressed."

"What? Why?"

"I have a whole day planned. First lunch out, then a walk in the park, then a glorious dinner and dancing. "

"Wow, really? That’s quite a sequel to what we just did."

"I've waited much too long to not have you with me. I never plan on letting that happen again."

“Though I wouldn’t mind a repeat performance, Doctor. There are a few things we couldn’t get to that I’d very much like to try.”

He chuckled and kissed her lips. “I never said what would come after the dancing. One favor though?”

“Anything.”

“Can we go to my place? Having sex on a small bed like yours can be hazardous.”

Rose laughed and slapped his shoulder. “I suppose you have a better option?”

“Oh, yeah.”

OoOoOo

The Doctor stuck to his word. That day he kept by her side, enjoying every second. That night they found themselves in his bed, exploring each other once again. 

In the coming days and weeks, they were inseparable. Rose finished her internship and graduated, with him waving from the audience next to her mother. She then settled into her life across from Jack as the Doctor’s second paralegal. As the practice expanded though, Jack helped a young solicitor that was new to the practice and ended up staying with him, but Rose stayed at the Doctor’s side.

Amy and Rory got married, as did Jack and Ianto, and the Doctor and Rose were in both weddings. 

Later that year, on the anniversary that the Doctor should have hated so much, he was home with Rose, his fiancé. He didn’t even notice the date.


End file.
